SSU Symphonic Wind Ensemble May 14 & Jazz Orchestra May 15
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 2:05pmTO: Campus Community
FR: Andy Collinsworth, Chair of the Department of Music
The Sonoma State University Department of Music invites you to attend the final performances of the year: To Tangos and Roses by the Symphonic Wind Ensemble Thursday, May 14 and Big Band Bash with the Jazz Orchestra Friday, May 15. Both evenings begin at 7:30 pm in Weill Hall.
Soprano and SSU Voice Instructor Mary Evelyn Hangley will be featured with the Symphonic Wind Ensemble in a performance of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw’s Is a Rose, a trilogy juxtaposing poetry from the 18th and 21st centuries. This is an incredible opportunity to hear Mary, an exceptionally talented artist who recently won the title role in Richard Strauss’ opera Ariadne auf Naxos with the Sarasota Opera next spring. Thursday’s performance also includes several outstanding works by American composers for wind band: Michael Gandolfi’s virtuosic Vientos y Tangos (Winds and Tangos), Morton Gould’s Ballad for Band, and Dennis Llinás outrageously fun new work, La Chancla (The Slipper).The concert will open with a performance by the Mt. San Antonio College Wind Ensemble from Walnut, CA.
On Friday, Doug Leibinger and the SSU Jazz Orchestra will team up with the Mt. San Antonio College Jazz Ensemble to present an evening of big band music by Thad Jones, Mary Lou Williams, Cole Porter and more!
Please join us to celebrate our talented SSU students and the music they bring to life!
Free tickets for SSU students, faculty, and staff! Follow these steps to get yours:
- Open the link "GET YOUR TICKETS"
- Open the menu (☰), go to My Account, and log in to your SSU account
- Click on “Sonoma State University” at the top to return to events
- Select your event one more time, and choose Student or Faculty/Staff tickets
View detailed instructions here.
Check out these other Music Department events:
American Voices
Friday, May 8 at 7:30 pm
Weill Hall, Green Music Center
Concert Band and Maria Carrillo High School Wind Ensemble
A program built from recognizable works with strong identity. You’ll hear American Salute, Caravan, Armenian Dances, and Starry Ocean, drawing from folk music, jazz, and American band traditions, with each piece bringing a clear and distinct sound.
What We Carry: Songs of Journey, Reflection, and Connection
Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 pm
Schroeder Hall, Green Music Center
Concert Choir and SonoVoce
A set of pieces that each say something direct and human. From Shenandoah and The Sun Never Says to Time and By Night, the program moves through love, memory, and change, with each work offering its own take on what we hold onto and what we let go.
To Roses & Tangos
Thursday, May 14 at 7:30 pm
Weill Hall, Green Music Center
Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Mt. San Antonio College Wind Ensemble
A lineup of songs that each stand on their own. Nitro, Fate of the Gods, Danzón No. 2, and Vientos y Tangos bring rhythm, scale, and motion, balanced by works like One Life Beautiful and Is a Rose that slow things down and stay with you.
Big Band Bash
Friday, May 15 at 7:30 pm
Weill Hall, Green Music Center
SSU Jazz Orchestra and Mt. San Antonio College Jazz Ensemble
The program opens with music from the video game Persona 5, including Last Surprise and Rivers in the Desert, then shifts into big band and jazz standards. Music by Thad Jones, Mary Lou Williams, and Cole Porter keeps the set moving with different grooves and styles throughout.