UVa Jazz Ensemble
Category: Event Calendar
Date and Time
- Tuesday, Apr 7, 2026 7pm - 9pm
Location
Rapture Restaurant
303 E Main St
Details
The UVA Jazz Ensemble has become one of the more creative college big bands in the country. The group’s performances feature classic repertoire from across the spectrum of jazz history, jazz arrangements of music from diverse genres, and original compositions and arrangements by the students and the director.
Giving two major concerts a year in Old Cabell Hall, and various extra performances, the Jazz Ensemble is an extended big band that includes flutes, vocalists, and, sometimes, other instruments not normally associated with big band music.
Once a year, the UVa Jazz Ensemble performs off-campus here in town--a change of venue to give these rising stars a taste of a club gig. It's a pretty special night for Rapture and for the musicians, as they get to showcase their prodigious talents with standard arrangements, more cutting edge materials, and even originals.
The UVA Jazz Program focuses on developing the individual voices of our jazz students. We follow the Duke Ellington model of how to build a jazz orchestra: allow and encourage the distinct musical personalities of the musicians to create the overall sound and direction of the music.
The Jazz Ensemble encourages its members to immerse themselves in the art form called jazz, to understand its history, and to listen, repeatedly, to the music. Jazz, and the blues from which it sprang, are both gifts from Black America to the rest of the world. Jazz gives music back to the musicians by teaching two things: 1. master musical language on your instrument, and 2. Tell your own story; “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken,” as Oscar Wilde exhorted. The UVA Jazz Ensemble avidly pursues these twin goals of expertise and creative expression.
Ensemble director Sharel Cassity boasts an impressive resume; she is a nationally acclaimed saxophonist recognized on both the national and international jazz scenes. Named DownBeat Magazine's "Rising Star Alto Saxophone" of 2023, Sharel has appeared on renowned shows such as the Today Show, Good Morning America, and The Colbert Show. She is an inductee of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and a recipient of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award.
Throughout her career, Sharel has collaborated with multi-Grammy Award-winning artists, including Jennifer Hudson, Natalie Merchant, Aretha Franklin, Vanessa Williams, and Trisha Yearwood. She frequently performs alongside NEA Jazz Masters and Grammy Award winners like Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Christian McBride. Additionally, she has worked closely with and mentored under jazz legends Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, and James Moody. Sharel has also been a featured guest soloist with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.
