Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis To Play UNF Fine Arts Center in January 2009

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis To Play UNF Fine Arts Center in January 2009

(Jacksonville, FL) – Presented with support from Winn-Dixie, The University of North Florida Fine Arts Center proudly welcomes the renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis to the Lazzara Performance Hall on Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, composed of 15 of today’s finest jazz soloists and ensemble players, has been the Jazz at Lincoln Center resident orchestra since 1992. Featured in all aspects of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s programming, the remarkably versatile Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performs and leads educational events in New York, across the U.S. and around the world; in concert halls, dance venues, jazz clubs, public parks, river boats, and churches; and with symphony orchestras, ballet troupes, local students and an ever-expanding roster of guest artists.

Under Music Director Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra spends over a third of the year on tour. The big band performs a vast repertoire, from rare historic compositions to Jazz at Lincoln Center-commissioned works, including compositions and arrangements by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, Billy Strayhorn, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Charles Mingus, Sy Oliver, Oliver Nelson and many others. Guest conductors have included Benny Carter, John Lewis, Jimmy Heath, Chico O'Farrill, Ray Santos, Paquito D’Rivera, Jon Faddis, Robert Sadin, David Berger, Gerald Wilson and Loren Schoenberg.

"We are thrilled to have this performance as the first of our three-part Winn Dixie Series," said Interim Executive Director Joseph Harris. "Their incredible support has made it possible for us to bring in one of the world’s greatest jazz ensembles to the First Coast."

Jazz musician, trumpeter, composer, bandleader, advocate for the arts, and educator Wynton Marsalis has helped propel jazz to the forefront of American culture. His prominent position in American culture was solidified in April 1997, when he became the first jazz artist to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in music for his work Blood on the Fields, which was commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center. A multiple GRAMMY award winning artist, Marsalis has served as the world-renowned arts organization’s artistic director as well as music director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (formerly known as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra) since its inception. He is also widely recognized to television viewers from programs such as Marsalis on Music, Ken Burns’ Jazz and Unforgivable Blackness:The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (PBS), and the BET Jazz series Journey with Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Education is a major part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s mission and its educational activities are coordinated with concert and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra tour programming. These programs, many of which feature Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra members, include the celebrated Jazz for Young PeopleSM family concert series, the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival, the Jazz for Young People Curriculum, educational residencies, workshops, and concerts for students and adults worldwide. Jazz at Lincoln Center educational programs reaches over 110,000 students, teachers and general audience members.

To date, 12 recordings featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis have been released and internationally distributed: Congo Square (2007), Don’t Be Afraid…The Music of Charles Mingus (2005), A Love Supreme (2005), All Rise (2002), Big Train (1999), Sweet Release & Ghost Story (1999), Live in Swing City (1999), Jump Start and Jazz (1997), Blood on the Fields (1997), They Came to Swing (1994), The Fire of the Fundamentals (1993), and Portraits by Ellington (1992).

Tickets and Information:

Individual tickets are $65, $56, and $45 for the general public and $10 for students. Additional discounts apply on select shows when purchasing for either 3 or 6 performances. For complete information about any shows or to purchase single tickets, visit www.unf.edu/fineartscenter or call the UNF Ticket Box Office at (904) 620-2878. Patrons can visit the Box Office in person at the University of North Florida, Building 45, Room 1400, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32224. Hours are 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 90 minutes prior to show time.

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About Jazz at Lincoln Center

Jazz at Lincoln Center is dedicated to inspiring and growing audiences for jazz. With the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and a comprehensive array of guest artists, Jazz at Lincoln Center advances a unique vision for the continued development of the art of jazz by producing a year-round schedule of performance, education and broadcast events for audiences of all ages. These productions include concerts, national and international tours, residencies, weekly national radio and television programs, recordings, publications, an annual high school jazz band competition and festival, a band director academy, a jazz appreciation curriculum for children, advanced training through the Juilliard Institute for Jazz Studies, music publishing, children’s concerts, lectures, adult education courses and student and educator workshops. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis Jazz at Lincoln Center will produce nearly 3,000 events during its 2008-09 season in its home in New York City, Frederick P. Rose Hall, and around the world. For more information, visit www.jalc.org.

About The University of North Florida Fine Arts Center

Established in 2001, The University of Florida Fine Arts Center has built a rich tradition of showcasing an eclectic series of world-class performers, commercial entertainers, ethnic music and dance, cutting edge performances, and children’s programming as well as the premiere of new works to support upcoming artists. The Center’s goal is to enhance the academic programs of the University and to complement the cultural offerings within Jacksonville, building new audiences, and contributing to the quality of life and economic development of the city.

About Winn-Dixie

Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. is one of the nation's largest food retailers. Founded in 1925, the Company is headquartered in Jacksonville, FL. The Company currently operates 521 retail grocery locations including more than 400 in-store pharmacies in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and Mississippi. For more information, please visit www.winn-dixie.com.