SOLD OUT!

The Reno Jazz Orchestra presents two elite performances of the 2023 Jazz Workshop and Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra in concert.

Opening the show is the Reno Jazz Orchestra's Jazz Workshop Combo. They will share their passion and talents with a performance of improvisation and music all learned by ear. Showcasing the best of the region's youth jazz musicians, the Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra will then take the stage to perform the music of Count Basie, Benny Carter, Sammy Nestico, as well as many vocal standards.

Two Nights — One Location

• June 3, 2023 & June 4, 2023
• 7:00 PM
• GLM Theatre
• 124 W Taylor St,
• Midtown Reno, NV

Enjoy a lovely summer evening with fine music, fabulous food and friendship, too! Experience some of the Reno Jazz Orchestra's newest original music from its Creative Directions CD and hear the best of the Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra, too. Come celebrate the exclusive unveiling of our latest CD while supporting our education programs.

• July 15, 2023
• 6:00 PM
• Private home in Reno
  (details upon ticket purchase)

Ticketing Information

It's the swinging, jump-jiving stage show of the summer with the big band music of the Reno Jazz Orchestra and original "dirty dancing" of the "Lindy" and "Jitterbug" of the 1930s. Relive the sultry scene when Savoy Ballroom dancers were enraptured by Goodman, Basie and other jazz giants' hot new music called swing.

Two Nights — Two Locations

• July 29, 2023
• 7:30 PM
• J Resort (formerly The Sands)
• 345 N. Arlington Avenue
• Reno, NV

• July 31, 2023
• 7:30 PM
• Warren Edward Trepp Jr. Stage
• Sand Harbor State Park
• Lake Tahoe, NV

The Mile High Jazz Band Association started the Jazz & Beyond Music Festival in 2004 to honor Count Basie's 100th birthday. It became an annual event in 2006, and moved to downtown Carson City in 2009. Today, it features over 100 performers, many of them local talents.

This year the RJO opens the Festival on the lawn of the Governor's Mansion. Bring your lawn chairs.

• August 11, 2023
• 6:00 PM
• Nevada Governor's Mansion
• 606 Mountain St.
• Carson City, NV

GRAMMY award-winning saxophonist Tom Scott has been featured in some of the greatest music ever recorded in the past 50 years. This summer he joins the stage with the Reno Jazz Orchestra to present a night infused with his compositions of jazz, blues, fusion, instrumental pop and big band sounds.

Two Nights — Two Locations

• August 20, 2023
• 4:00 PM
• Nightingale Concert Hall
• Church Fine Arts Building
• University of Nevada, Reno

• August 21, 2023
• 7:30 PM
• Warren Edward Trepp Jr. Stage
• Sand Harbor State Park
• Lake Tahoe, NV

The RJO provides a Saturday workshop for students in Northern Nevada who would like to work on improvisation, jazz theory, ear training, and small group performance. Currently taught by Dylan Coleman-Tunstall and guest instructors, this 9-week program helps students improve playing by ear in a small group setting. The sessions are geared towards students with limited experience in either middle or high school.

Fourth quarter, 2022, was an exciting time for the RJO, as we merged the Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra into our organization.

RYJO is the vehicle for big band jazz ensemble experience for local middle and high school musicians. The orchestra performs throughout the Northern Nevada and Northern California area, offering, on average, twelve performances during their nine-month season.

The orchestra was established in 2006, co-founded by Vernon Scarbrough and Karen Scarbrough. Vernon continues to be the Orchestra's Music Director, and Karen, the Director of Programs and Development.

Be sure to save the dates for this year's performance schedule. These young musicians are talented and dedicated; their music is awesome.

The Reno Jazz Orchestra (RJO) had the wonderful opportunity to perform at two great events, the first at the Reno Jazz Festival (RJF) on April 29 and the second a benefit concert for Northern Nevada HOPES on May 7. Let's start with the jazz festival...

Spirits is our brand-new CD featuring the music of Earth Wind & Fire. It is the culmination of great recording sessions and studio polishing over the course of nine months. EWF’s music expresses hope, inspiration, and joy. The perfect elixir to re-engage with the world. Many of these songs you will know (and sing along) others might be new to your ears.

As a Legacy Society member, your passion, support, and dedication to our organization and fans worldwide will be forever treasured. With your commitment to create your personal legacy for the Reno Jazz Orchestra, you will sustain that extraordinary legacy of music and education that we are honored to share with our fans and community as well.

The RJO concluded this year's Jazz in the Schools program with an online concert featuring RJO trumpeter Julien Knowles with his quartet performing original compositions. The group played thirty minutes, then broke to answer questions from the participating students, and then the Quartet finished with another thirty-minute performance.

Our mission is to build a greater appreciation of jazz in Northern Nevada by providing outstanding big band performances, promoting the artistry of Reno Jazz Orchestra musicians through a variety of ensembles, and supporting jazz education through a mentorship program in middle schools, high schools, and colleges. All combined, we contribute to the vibrancy, diversity, cultural vitality, and quality of our community’s artistic life.

Stay in touch with the RJO by joining the RJO Fan Club. All we need is your name and your email address. We'll keep you informed about upcoming performances, events, and our plans for the future. We promise, we won't give your info to anyone outside our organication, and we won't fill your inbox with countless emails, but we will remind you of great music you won't want to miss.