What drives us?

  • Jazz Houston promotes the cultivation of jazz music globally through Performance, Education, and Community Outreach, and honors the Houstonians and Texans who have and continue to be major contributors to Jazz through the celebration of their legacies and the performance of their works. 

  • Jazz Houston's vision is to sustain a swinging, world-class resident Jazz Orchestra comprised of the finest musicians, and to present programming that demonstrates the richness and variety of jazz from all of its eras. Equally important is our commitment to enriching our world through educating all ages on the fascinating history of this music, which is ripe with examples of great integrity, stellar musicianship, and life lessons that translate into contemporary times.                

    Jazz Houston is a vibrant organization that explores the entirety of jazz while preserving and promoting the music for the greater Houston community and beyond. Jazz Houston programs jazz concerts and educational programs annually. 

  • At the center of our performance vision is the 15-member Jazz Houston Orchestra, comprised of the some of the most accomplished and outstanding musicians in the world today. As only the second jazz institution in the US to support a resident Jazz Orchestra, our dynamic ensemble explores the varied array of styles within jazz, while also celebrating Its history and contributing new works to its cannon. To showcase the diverse musical and cultural heritage of Houston, our organization strives to collaborate with artists from other genres including Gospel, Pop, Orchestral Music, and R&B. In addition we create experiences that mesh jazz with other performing arts disciplines such as theater, opera, and dance.  

    Outside of those performances featuring our resident orchestra, Jazz Houston also presents various national and international artists in concert.

  • Education is a main focus for Jazz Houston. Our orchestra members and teaching arists regularly lead community educational opportunities for children and adults including workshops, public school programs, and educational residencies. These engaging, lively educational experiences foster personal relationships with the music for people of all ages while cultivating new audiences for the art form.

Support our vision

A letter from our Artistic Director:

Houston is a vibrant, soulful, multicultural city that has always loved and supported its musicians and their music. Houstonians have a deep connection to jazz, America's original art form, through their love of the blues, their close geographical and cultural ties to Louisiana, and their many major jazz contributors. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring our vision for an internationally-recognized jazz institution to this city. Having worked with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center for nearly 20 years, I understand what the blueprint for a successful jazz organization looks like.

Both of my parents displayed a love of music and both are retired musicians and educators. Growing up in a musical environment served as a catalyst for me to follow my dream on the music faculties of major universities and conservatories including the Juilliard School, as well as serving in the capacity of the founding director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Orchestra. Such rich experiences have created a deep commitment to education, which I see as a fundamental tenet of the Jazz Houston’s mission and vision.

This vision includes a swinging, world-class resident jazz orchestra, its ranks filled with the finest musicians performing music that brings the richness and variety of all of the music’s eras. By collaborations with renowned musicians steeped in local, beloved genres, we can incorporate those into the sound and feeling of jazz. To cultivate a love of music with people of all ages, our detailed and focused educational programs will teach the principle beliefs of jazz and its history. And in the spirit of fostering a love of community, we want to establish a place where we can honor and celebrate the many Houstonians and Texans who have made meaningful contributions to this music. With your support, we can create Houston's center for this great art form -- Jazz.

- Vincent Gardner, Artistic Director of Jazz Houston

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