VINCE MENDOZA & THE HENRY MANCINI INSTITUTE ORCHESTRA

Vince Mendoza, conductor

Shelly Berg, piano

Multi-GRAMMY award-winning composer and arranger Vince Mendoza steps to the podium with the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra for an evening devoted entirely to his original works in both big band and orchestral settings.

Mendoza has been at the forefront of the jazz and contemporary music scene as a composer, conductor and recording artist for the last 30 years.

A prolific collaborator whose credits range from Björk and Joni Mitchell to Gregory Porter and Sting, Mendoza brings to campus the genre-bending flair he refined during nine seasons as chief conductor of the Netherlands’ Metropole Orkest. His recent album *Olympians* confirms why he now holds eight GRAMMY Awards and thirty-eight nominations.

Sharing the spotlight is Frost School of Music dean and pianist **Shelly Berg**, praised by *AllMusic* as “*one of the finest pianists around in the early 21st century playing modern mainstream jazz.*” Together, Berg and Mendoza—long-time artistic allies—transform Gusman Hall into a studio of incandescent color, where driving grooves meet cinematic lyricism.

Expect an evening that showcases Mendoza’s full creative range: tightly crafted big-band numbers that burst with brass and rhythm, and sweeping orchestral works that reveal his gift for evocative harmony and shimmering instrumental detail. Whether you come for the jazz virtuosity, the symphonic richness, or the rare chance to hear two major voices on the same stage, this concert promises to be a highlight of the season.

FRI  / SEP 26, 2025 / 7:30 P.M.

UM Gusman Concert Hall

$40  $35  $15