Sunday June 11, 2023

Doors 2:30 PM
Show 3:00 PM

$20 Advance Purchase | $25 Day-of-Show | $10 Student Tickets with ID
Buy a season pass for all 5 shows and receive 20% off!
All shows will be followed by “Meet the Composer” reception open to all attendees.

All Ages Welcome – 21+ With Valid ID to Drink
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Menu will feature sandwiches & light fare, including Vegetarian and Gluten-Free options.
Be sure to check out our current offerings on our website or click here.

Gina Benalcazar Quintet

Versatility means activity for Gina Benalcazar.

Her skill at doubling from tenor trombone to bass trombone, and from tuba to euphonium, has kept her busy subbing for Broadway musicals including “Moulin Rouge!” and “Some Like It Hot,” and in big bands such as the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Roy Hargrove Big Band, Rufus Reid Big Band and Etienne Charles’ Creole Soul.

Gina, 29, also is a member of Rodney Whitaker’s Jazz Orchestra and Dee Dee Bridgewater Big Band.

In addition, the New York City resident plays and composes for own quintet, The Bounce.

Gina has a bachelor’s in classical bass trombone performance from University of North Florida and a master’s in jazz studies from Michigan State University.

5 Fresh Takes will highlight five women who are diverse personally and musically, arriving in the region from different states and continents, and creating music ranging from straight-ahead jazz to blends of jazz/classical/folk and jazz/funk/rock.

The composers — Gosia Julia Maj, Tammy Huynh, Gina Benalcazar, Lora Sherrodd and Laura Lizcano — are accomplished musicians. Ages 25 to 33, they each perform in their bands as singers and/or instrumentalists.

All have years of experience composing and performing; four have or are obtaining master’s degrees in jazz studies. All have released recordings of their original music or are releasing one later this year.

But the challenge of carving out a career in the music world – daunting under any circumstance — is even more uphill in a niche such as jazz, and doubly so for women, who are underrepresented in the genre.
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