TODAY · 7:30pm
Guest Artist Recital and Master Class: Thomas Kurtz, Saxophone and Suyeon Kim, Piano
Imig Music
TOMORROW · 7:30pm
Thompson Jazz Studies Combos: Fall 2026 Concert in Grusin and Ensemble Hall
Friday, October 30 at Imig Music, Boulder
About this event
CU Boulder Thompson Jazz Studies Combos present their fall 2026 concert paying homage to Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Kenny Dorham and Booker Little; these four jazz trumpet players helped shape the jazz canon through both their improvisations and compositions. Additionally, you'll experience several original compositions by student composers Lucy O'Byrne, Nick Mailes, Caleb Abbott, Brayden Winters, William Pettigrew and others. Combo Leaders: Brad Goode, Professor of Jazz Studies Altin Sencalar, Assistant Teaching Professor of Jazz Studies Alejandro Castaño, Lecturer of Jazz Studies Victor Mestas, Lecturer of Jazz Studies Dr. Seth Lewis, Lecturer of Jazz Studies Patrick McDevitt, Lecturer of Jazz Studies Milo Lewon, MM Jazz Studies TA Addison Jordan, DMA Jazz Studies TA Nick Mailes, DMA Jazz Studies TA JJ Mazza, MM Jazz Studies TA Only the performances in Grusin Music Hall will be livestreamed by CU Boulder For complete information visit cupresents.org.
Who's playing
The players are students in the Thompson Jazz Studies Program, placed into combos by audition. Each combo works with a leader from the faculty or the graduate ranks. The leaders include Professor Brad Goode, Altin Sencalar, Alejandro Castaño, Victor Mestas, Seth Lewis and Patrick McDevitt. Graduate teaching assistants Milo Lewon, Addison Jordan, Nick Mailes and JJ Mazza also lead groups.
What to expect
Combos perform at the same time in Grusin Music Hall and Ensemble Hall, both in the Imig Music building, so you choose which room to sit in. Sets draw on the hard bop repertoire of Hubbard, Morgan, Dorham and Little, who shaped jazz through both their playing and their writing. Student compositions by Lucy O'Byrne, Nick Mailes, Caleb Abbott, Brayden Winters, William Pettigrew and others sit alongside those tunes. Only the Grusin Music Hall performances are livestreamed.
Why go
This is a chance to hear students stretch out in small groups, working on improvisation in the way the combo program is designed to teach. The mix of classic trumpet-led material and brand-new campus compositions shows what the next generation of Boulder players is writing. It also gives a look at the jazz program's current work.
Where
Imig Music · 1020 18th Street · Boulder CODirections
