Jazz Ensembles

The Compass Jazz Orchestra, UNC’s flagship large jazz ensemble, has earned national recognition for its creative excellence—receiving more DownBeat Student Music Awards over the past two decades than any other university big band. The ensemble has toured internationally and released acclaimed recordings including Carmen Sings Carmen, featuring the great Carmen Bradford, and The Romeo and Juliet Project. Its performances feature new works by UNC students and faculty, reflecting the program’s commitment to creativity and collaboration.

Both the Catalyst and Continuum Jazz Orchestras offer students the full big band experience, performing a wide range of repertoire that provides both exciting and rewarding musical challenges. Each ensemble emphasizes strong section playing, stylistic versatility and the collaborative skills essential to professional large-ensemble performance.

Hear Compass Jazz Orchestra

UNC’s vocal jazz groups have earned national and international acclaim, including numerous DownBeat Student Music Awards and a Grammy nomination. NoCoVo, Vocalese and Verve are advanced ensembles that explore cutting-edge repertoire and are featured annually at the UNC•Greeley Jazz Festival. The top ensemble has been invited to perform multiple times at the Jazz Education Network Conference, representing UNC on a national stage.

Hear UNC Vocal Jazz

UNC’s jazz combos give students the opportunity to develop both solo and ensemble skills while deepening their knowledge of jazz repertoire. Each group performs a diverse mix of classic jazz tunes, pieces by jazz legends and original works written and arranged by students. Over the years, UNC combos have performed across the country and received numerous awards, and most have the opportunity to record in the state-of-the-art UNC Recording Studio.

Blurring the lines between genres, this ensemble brings together classical and jazz musicians to create an exciting fusion of sound. Performing primarily new works by UNC faculty and students, it celebrates innovation and collaboration across musical traditions.

At UNC, students can perform in groups that focus on specific styles, including Sabor de Jazz (Latin Jazz Ensemble) and Funk Lab (funk/soul band). These ensembles give students the opportunity to dive deeply into distinct genres, collaborate with musicians who share their interests and develop specialized performance skills.

Students also have opportunities to perform in like-instrument groups such as the Jazz Guitar Ensemble and Jazz Saxophone Quartets, which provide focused experience in ensemble playing, improvisation and section interaction within each instrument family.