The Sweet Sound of Music: SMC Jazz Singers Win First Ever California Jazz Championship

After more than 40 of the West Coast’s best high school and college jazz groups went head to head for the first-ever California Jazz Championship, one college emerged victorious: Saint Mary's. 

Under the leadership of Dr. Julie Ford, Saint Mary's Jazz Choir competed over two days, right in the historic downtown center of Folsom, California. They ultimately took home first prize in the "College Jazz Choir" category. 

The competition is the brainchild of Curtis Gaesser, a Folsom High School music director who wanted to draw bands from up and down the coast. He envisioned it as a European-style festival, where "you play out in the city," he told Gold Country Media. “We’re just the passing-by entertainment, and yet make it competitive.”

According to Ford, the choir received an enthusiastic standing ovation from their audience in Folsom. And the celebration isn't over: the Saint Mary's community has the chance to see the award-winning choral group right here in Moraga, during the annual Choir Concert on May 11 and May 13 in the SMC Chapel. 

Learn more about the upcoming concert.

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