Jazz Orchestra I

Thursday, February 13, 2020 at 8 p.m.
Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall
W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts

Tickets
In advance $7; At the door $10
Free for VCU students with ID

Paul Ferguson is Artistic Director and Principal Trombonist of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, Principal Trombonist and Arranger for the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, and has served as Principal Trombonist of the Canton Symphony(1989-98), Associate Principal Trombonist of the American Wind Symphony, and Trombonist and Arranger for the High Anxiety Bones (with Steven Witser, Edward Zadrony, and Raymond Premru). His performance credits also include the Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Opera, Ohio Chamber Orchestra, Apollo's Fire, Cleveland Chamber Brass, New Hampshire Festival Orchestra, plus touring as lead trombonist and arranger with the Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller Orchestras and performing in Broadway touring productions. In 1995 Paul was the recipient of the Gil Evans Fellowship in Jazz Composition and in 2012 the sole American finalist in the ART-EZ Jazz composition competition in Enschede, Holland. His recordings as leader include "Blue Highways" (recorded with the RIAS Big Band of Berlin), and "Friends," "Rays of Light," "Big Band Christmas," "Encounter," and "Paul Ferguson Jazz Orchestra: Live at the Bop Stop" with his own ensemble.

In a recent summer Ferguson taught at an International Jazz Seminar in Zarautz, Spain, wrote three arrangements for the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and wrote three more arrangements for the Cleveland Pops for use on the Drew Carey show. Last March he presented masterclasses in Bologna, Italy and Rouen, France and performed with saxophonist Bob Sands in Madrid, Spain. His works are published by Kendor Music and Sierra Music Publications. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from The University of Akron and his Master of Music degree from The Eastman School of Music, where as a teaching assistant he taught a Jazz Methods class for music education majors and assisted Rayburn Wright with basic Arranging classes and Ramon Ricker with classes in Jazz Theory. As a member of the Eastman Summer Jazz Faculty (1986-1988) he also taught Arranging and conducted weekly Trombone Masterclasses. Paul has served as Director of Jazz Studies at Case Western Reserve University since 1988.