West Chester University’s Wells School of Music will host a free concert featuring the Criterions Jazz Ensemble and world-renowned jazz pianist Orrin Evans.

The ensemble will perform with Evans on Friday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 PM in the Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre, located in the Swope Music Building and Performing Arts Center at 817 South High Street. Jonathan Ragonese directs the concert, which can also be viewed via livestream.

The Philadelphia-based Evans is a jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader. He has been categorized as a bebop player and one of the “young lions” that emerged in the 1990s. He has recorded more than 25 albums as a leader and surrounds himself with some of the best players on the jazz scene, including Nasheet Waits, Christian McBride, Oliver Lake, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and others.

For the concert, the 17 ensemble members will perform selections of Evans’s recordings with the Captain Black Big Band. Evans will rehearse with the ensemble leading up to the concert and perform alongside them that evening. He will also do a public Master Class at 11 AM in the Wells School of Music’s Ware Recital Hall.

“Working and performing alongside a guest artist of Evans’s caliber is an outstanding opportunity for our jazz students to learn from a master,” said Ragonese.

Mask and COVID-19 safety measures at West Chester University will continue to be updated here. Please check ahead for updated information before attending your performance.