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The Big Band is back!

The NSSO kicks off its three-concert series with compositions and arrangements by the great jazz trombonist and composer Bob Brookmeyer, from across his long career. Nick Marchione and Patricia Brennan, guest artists. Conducted by Keller Coker.

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View the program here.

The College of Performing Arts' newest large ensemble, the New School Studio Orchestra (NSSO), is composed of students from the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and Mannes School of Music, performing music from a wide variety of genres including jazz, soul, pop, and improvised music. The NSSO kicks off its three-concert season on October 24 with an evening dedicated to the compositions and arrangements by the great jazz trombonist and composer Bob Brookmeyer. Ellington and Strayhorn’s beloved The Nutcracker Suite will be presented during the holiday season on December 5. The U.S. premiere of Carla Bley’s rarely performed but hugely influential Escalator Over the Hill, described by Rolling Stone as “an international musical encounter of the first order,” is the epic close to this season’s series, led by Arturo O'Farrill and Keller Coker on May 2, 2025.

"This is an exciting season for the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music,” says Keller Coker, Dean, School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and Associate Dean, College of Performing Arts. “The New School Studio Orchestra presents the U.S. Premiere of Carla Bley's rarely performed Escalator Over the Hill in May and starts off the fall in a big way with music by Bob Brookmeyer in October and Ellington's beloved Nutcracker Suite in December – I can't wait for people to hear this group. We have a boygenius Ensemble for the first time, and our Fall Ensemble Festival features Reggie Workman's John Coltrane Ensemble, the Carla Bley Ensemble directed by Arturo O'Farrill, and the Waterfalls 90s R&B Ensemble directed by Marlon Saunders, as well as groups helmed by Immanuel Wilkins, Jane Ira Bloom, Joel Ross, Mary Halvorsen and more. Folks should come get in the room with these talented musicians."

The School of Jazz and Contemporary Music is renowned across the globe as the most innovative school of its kind, offering students an artist-as-mentor approach to learning. The world’s leading contemporary and jazz musicians, like Reggie Workman, Mary Halvorson, Arturo O’Farrill, Joel Ross, Immanuel Wilkens, Jane Ira Bloom, and more, work with students to hone their craft and create groundbreaking music. At the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, students are immersed in the creative epicenter of New York City and are supported by a faculty of renowned professionals who challenge them to expand the boundaries of their art form, experiment with sound, and use creative voice for change. The school’s approach is unique, allowing students to choose their own teachers and create their own ensembles. This education with agency provides students with the tools and experience needed to navigate and thrive as performing arts professionals. All groups rehearse, record, and perform live (with livestream) every semester.