Luther College Jazz Orchestra to present spring concert April 12

The Luther College Jazz Orchestra under the direction of J. Tony Guzmán will perform their spring concert Saturday, April 12 at 7 p.m. in the Main Hall of the Center for Faith and Life on the campus of Luther College.

The concert is open to the public with no charge for admission.

The concert will be a two-part program. The first session includes compositions from the early jazz era, the swing era, and modern jazz, featuring composers Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus. Jazz Orchestra guitarist Tom Paradise, a senior from Rochester, Minn., will premier his arrangement of “My Favorite Things.”

The second session will feature Latin Jazz, including Argentinean, Brazilian and Afro-Caribbean music.

The spring concert by the 20-piece Luther Jazz Orchestra is a prelude to the ensemble’s tour in Brazil in May. The orchestra will perform in concerts and at workshops in São Paulo, São Caetano do Sul, Cabo Frio and Rio de Janeiro.

            Ensemble director Guzmán, associate professor of music and education, holds a degree in electromechanical engineering from the Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra in Santiago, Dominican Republic, the bachelor’s degree from Luther College, and the master’s and doctoral degrees from Florida State University. He frequently serves as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator at seminars, workshops, festivals and other music and music education events across the United States and abroad.