COMMENCEMENT BAY JAZZ FESTIVAL

The PLU Jazz Ensemble is the critically-acclaimed large ensemble representing jazz and creative music at Pacific Lutheran University. The ensemble performs four concerts per season on the PLU campus, and often performs at local festivals and conferences. Every four years, the ensemble takes an international tour with the PLU Wind Ensemble. Past tours have included Scandinavia, China, Australia, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland. The PLU Jazz Ensemble repertoire includes traditional jazz big band works from all eras of the music, as well as new compositions and arrangements by contemporary composers. 

 

About the Director

 

Dr. Cassio Vianna is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies at PLU, where he directs the University Jazz Ensemble and teaches jazz classes and lessons. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Vianna is a pianist, music educator, and a Latin Grammy-nominated composer. His compositions and arrangements for jazz ensemble have received international recognition, including awards from the National Band Association, Jazz Education Network, Ithaca College Jazz Composition Competition, and the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers (ISJAC). His works for jazz big band have been performed by artists such as Chris Potter, Eric Marienthal, Ernie Watts, and the United States Army Field Band (Jazz Ambassadors), among others. Vianna has been featured as a lecturer, adjudicator, and performer at festivals and conferences in the U.S., Latin America, and China. Vianna holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Rio de Janeiro, a Master of Music degree from Western Oregon University, and a Doctor of Arts degree in jazz studies from the University of Northern Colorado.