BluePort Jazz and artistic director of the Jazz Monsters Series and Jazz Festival Series Jim Merod speaks with Maria Schneider and her band members about their individual histories and what it’s like to play in the orchestra. Included is rehearsal footage allowing a look into the creative process as well as the public concert. Maria Schneider Orchestra performed on February 21, 2017 as part of Soka Performing Arts Center’s Jazz Monsters Series.

Recipient of two Grammy Awards (jazz and classical), Maria Schneider’s music has been hailed as evocative, majestic and magical. Blurring the lines between genres, Schneider’s long list of commissioners is quite varied, stretching among Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and collaborating with David Bowie.