In her 2020 concert debut as Artistic Director of the Frost School of Music’s Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, NEA Jazz Master composer, arranger, bandleader, recipient of twelve Grammy® nominations and five Grammy® awards, Maria Schneider presented a program featuring three-time Grammy® nominee saxophonist Donny McCaslin.
The captivated audience who filled UM’s Gusman Hall Saturday, January 25, 2020, experienced what has been called a “Musical Event” with Schneider conducting three of her signature orchestral jazz pieces, some of which were orchestrated by Frost students! The concert featured long-time collaborator saxophonist Donny McCaslin. The second half, directed by resident conductor Scott Flavin, featured mostly large ensemble arrangements of McCaslin’s pop-rock-jazz fusion.