About
JAZZ IS A LIVING ART FORM
About the Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra
The Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra is a 17-member professional ensemble bringing the power, creativity, and tradition of big band jazz to audiences throughout Greater Cincinnati.
Founded in 2013 by University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music professor Scott Belck and arts administrator LeAnne Anklan, CCJO brings together many of the region's leading jazz performers and educators.
Our music honors the great jazz tradition while continually pushing it forward through contemporary compositions, original arrangements, unexpected collaborations, and fresh interpretations of music audiences know and love.
From Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus to Prince, Radiohead, and David Bowie, CCJO makes jazz accessible, relevant, and alive.
Our Mission & Vision
Our Mission
To create experiences that advance jazz as a living art form.
Our Vision
To be the region's leading ambassador for jazz.
Through performances, education, collaboration, and community engagement, CCJO works to preserve the rich legacy of jazz while helping shape what comes next.
LIVE IN CINCINNATI
Big Band Tradition. Contemporary Spirit.
CCJO is rooted in the extraordinary tradition of big band jazz—but we aren't interested in simply recreating the past.
Our programming celebrates legendary composers alongside today's artists and original music created within the orchestra. We also collaborate across musical boundaries, sharing the stage with vocalists, orchestras, choirs, percussionists, and artists from a wide range of musical traditions.
Over the years, CCJO has performed with internationally recognized artists including Maria Schneider, Arturo Sandoval, Jimmy Heath, Wayne Bergeron, Conrad Herwig, Lauren Sevian, Lew Soloff, Tim Ries, and Bernard Fowler, among many others.
A Few CCJO Highlights
17
Professional Jazz Musicians
2013
CCJO Founded
2016
CityBeat Cincinnati Entertainment Award
Best Jazz Ensemble
2022
Release of CCJO's first album, We Are the CCJO
More Than Performances
Inspiring the Next Generation
Jazz grows when it is shared.
Education is an important part of CCJO's mission. Through programs including Let Freedom Swing! and CHOPS - Collaborative Honing of Performance Skills - CCJO musicians bring jazz education, mentorship, masterclasses, and professional performance experiences to students throughout Greater Cincinnati.
Many CCJO musicians are also educators at leading regional institutions including the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Miami University, Northern Kentucky University, Xavier University, and the University of Dayton.
LIVE IN CINCINNATI
Meet the People Behind CCJO
Great music takes more than great musicians. CCJO is supported by dedicated artistic leadership, staff, board members, volunteers, donors, and community partners committed to advancing jazz throughout Greater Cincinnati.
CCJO In Cincinnati
Built in Cincinnati. Connected to the World.
CCJO has collaborated with organizations throughout the region and beyond, including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Summermusik/Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati Youth Choir, Xavier University Music Series, Memorial Hall Signature Series, and OTR Performs in Washington Park.
The musicians who make up CCJO have collectively performed, toured, and recorded with some of the biggest names in jazz and popular music—from Ray Charles and Wynton Marsalis to Tony Bennett, The Temptations, Bootsy Collins, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Yet Cincinnati remains home.
Our goal is simple: create unforgettable jazz experiences, support extraordinary musicians, introduce new audiences to the music, and help ensure that jazz continues to thrive for generations to come.