ABOUT THE CCJO

The Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra (CCJO) is a 17-member ensemble dedicated to performing, preserving, and teaching Jazz as a living art form. Founded by University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music professor Scott Belck, its members are some of the preeminent Jazz artists and educators in the nation, all of whom have deep ties to the greater Cincinnati music education community. The ensemble explores the works of contemporary composers as well as those of the masters of the Jazz heritage, including Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis and Gil Evans.

​

The members of the CCJO have performed, toured and/or recorded with many of the top names in the jazz and commercial music industry. These include Ray Charles, the Woody Herman Orchestra, Manhattan Transfer, Wynton Marsalis, Michael Feinstein, Fred Hersch, Conrad Herwig, the Temptations, Arturo Sandoval, Tony Bennett, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Bootsy Collins, Clark Terry, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

As educators, nearly all of the ensemble members serve on the music faculties of prominent university music schools, including: Miami University, Capital University, Northern Kentucky University, Butler University, Xavier University, the University of Dayton and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Eric Lechliter is the artistic director for the CCJO, appointed in 2019. Dr. Scott Belck and Rob Parton serve as ensemble artistic director emeriti.

The CCJO is the proud winner of the 2016 CityBeat Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Best Jazz Ensemble.

The CCJO believes in the power of music to transform lives for the better and seeks to bring the beauty and elegance of Jazz to students and audiences alike.