The big band of the University of Oregon, the Oregon Jazz Ensemble, will tour Europe this July, preforming at four prestigious festivals in three countries over the course of just six days.

The 20-member ensemble’s tour stops will include performances at the Vienne Jazz Festival in France on July 10, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on July 12-13, the La Spezia Jazz Festival in Italy on July 14 and the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy on July 16.

The ambitious tour is the brainchild of Oregon Jazz Ensemble Director Steve Owen, the Philip H. Knight Professor of Jazz Studies and Music Theory and director of the UO’s Jazz Studies program at the UO School of Music and Dance.

The purpose of the trip is to introduce the UO’s jazz students to some of the great jazz festivals of the world, and to help them train for the life of a working musician. The UO also wants to present to European audiences the large number of jazz compositions recently written by UO students.

The performers are inviting their fans and friends back at home in the U.S. to watch them at their work; while on the road, the OJE will update a travel blog located at music.uoregon.edu/OJEEurope. The blog will include a live-stream of the ensemble’s concerts, as they are happening.

To read more about the Oregon Jazz Ensemble’s tour through Europe, read “Jazz Ensemble prepares for Europe.”

- from the School of Music and Dance