In striving to provide opportunities for Edmonton-based musicians to showcase their talent and further their growth as a musician through professional development, the Edmonton Jazz Festival Society created the Edmonton Jazz Orchestra (EJO). The EJO is a 17-piece, large jazz ensemble, consisting of a rotating roaster of musicians selected by the EJFS Artistic Director, Kent Sangster. The group performs throughout the year as a stand-alone band as well as in presentations featuring guest musicians, composers, and/or conductors.

EJO musicians are active musicians in the city’s music community and can be found performing regularly around the city and/or are music educators at a variety of local schools and institutes. Members of this group also give back to the community by leading workshops presented by the EJFS and participating in initiatives like reading sessions for the MacEwan University Music Program’s composition department that allow young, developing composers a chance to hear their pieces performed live by a big band.

The EJO made its debut at the 2006 Yardbird Jazz Festival and has continued to engage and delight audiences to this day, including performances with featured artists from home-town honourees to Canadian and international veterans like Maria Schneider, Mike Rud, Emilie Claire-Barlow, Hilario Duran, Carol Welsman, Bob Tidesley, and ProCoro to name a few.

Seats for each chair have been filled by:

DRUMS
Sandro Dominelli, Jamie Cooper, Dave Laing, Dan Skakun, Nathan Ouelette

BASS
John Taylor, Josh McHan, Aretha Tillotson

PIANO
Tom Van Seters, Andrew Glover, Stephanie Urquhart, Joshua Banks

GUITAR
Jim Head, Robert Walsh, Brett Hansen

SAXOPHONE
Ray Baril, Kent Sangster, Dan Davis, Jim Brenan, Jeremiah McDade, Jerrold Dubyk, Robin Taylor, Dan Davis, Fred Mack, Holly Sangster, Don Berner

TRUMPET
Joel Gray, Doug Berner, Sergio Rodriguez, Bob Tildesley, Matt Michielin, Dean McNeill, Dave Morgan, Marlouie Saique, Elissa Moores

TROMBONE
Craig Brenan, Audrey Ochoa, Remi Noel, Allen Jacobson, Ken Read, Sean Bumstead, Hannah Gray, Nathan O’Neill

EJO x MacEwan University Composition Student: 2022 Reading Session