Pacific Jazz Improv Workshop

University of the Pacific's horn section for the Pacific Jazz Ensemble

Saturday, September 19, 2026 - canceled
12 – 6 p.m.

Join University of the Pacific’s Jazz Studies Department for an annual Pacific Jazz Improv Workshop. This hands-on learning experience is open to all students and community members interested in learning more about improvisation. We welcome all skill levels from beginners to experienced. Our special guests include drummer Sylvia Cuenca and bassist Essiet Essiet. The day concludes with a concert featuring Pacific Jazz Ensembles celebrating the centennial of Miles Davis.

Join us!

$40—registration fee. Scholarships are available; contact jmazzaferro@pacific.edu for more information.

Based on your information, you will be placed in one of the three improv class levels:

  • Beginner
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced
Guest Artists
Sylvia Cuenca and Essiet Essiet

Drummer Sylvia Cuenca and bassist Essiet Essiet are a powerhouse, highly respected rhythm section in the contemporary jazz scene. Cuenca leads her own intergenerational jazz ensemble called Bridging Generations, which connects established New York masters with rising jazz voices from the West Coast.

Learn more
Jazz artists Sylvia Cuenca and Essiet Essiet

Learn with the jazz studies faculty

12 pmCheck-in (Buck Hall)
12:30 pm    Welcome and faculty performance
1 pmInstrumental clinics
2 pmMaster class
3:30 pmImprovisation sessions (beginning, intermediate, advanced)
5 pm   Closing
7:30 pmConcert: Pacific Jazz Ensembles (Faye Spanos Concert Hall)

Contact us

Joe Mazzaferro

Associate Professor of Practice in Jazz and Associate Director of Jazz Studies

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