WCJO and Lycoming College Jazz Ensemble take the stage with guest artist Paul Ferguson

The Williamsport Community Jazz Orchestra and the Lycoming College Jazz Ensemble will join forces to perform a repertoire of jazz favorites and other arrangements by featured guest artist Paul Ferguson. The concert is slated for Saturday, April 9, 7:30 p.m. at Williamsport’s Community Arts Center (CAC). General Admission tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students, and can be purchased by calling the CAC box office at 570.326.2424 or by visiting www.caclive.com.

Paul Ferguson is senior instructor of music at Case Western Reserve University, a post he assumed in 1988. He is artistic director of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and principal trombonist and arranger for the Cleveland Pops. In the 1980’s, he toured with the Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey orchestras. A graduate of The University of Akron and the Eastman School of Music, Ferguson has performed with most of the area’s classical ensembles, including the Canton and Akron symphonies and performances as an extra with The Cleveland Orchestra. In 2012, Ferguson was the sole American finalist in the ART-EZ Jazz composition competition in Enschede, Holland. His most recent recordings are “Rays of Light” and “Big Band Christmas.”

The Williamsport City Jazz Orchestra is based in Williamsport, Pa., and is made up of many of the area’s best jazz musicians. The group plays popular, familiar, obscure, sentimental, and exciting big band jazz tunes that are sure to appeal to all. WCJO aspires to give great local musicians an opportunity to play, and to nurture an appreciation of jazz music in the next generation of musicians and audiences.

The Lycoming College Jazz Ensemble has established a reputation for delivering exciting and enjoyable performances throughout the semester. The group performs in the community as well as on campus for ‘Jazz at Jack’s’ – and never disappoints with the traditional ‘end of semester’ concert on the last day of classes. The Jazz ensemble also collaborates with the Williamsport City Jazz Orchestra and performs concerts at the Community Arts Center.