The McDaniel College Music Department Jazz Faculty presents Blue Moon Big Band at 6 p.m. March 26 at the Carroll County Arts Council.

Tickets are $10 for general admission, $5 for seniors and students with a student ID. Tickets to the three-concert series are $30. For more information, call the Carroll Arts Center at 410-848-7272. Proceeds fund the William J. Byrd Scholarship at McDaniel College, awarded yearly to students wishing to minor in Jazz Studies.

Blue Moon Big Band, under the direction of Baltimore native Rob Leonard, will entertain with jazz and big band selections from the libraries of legends such as Sammy Nestico, Count Basie, Sonny Rollins, Dizzie Gillespie, and others.

“We are truly honored to be part of this concert series and to share our love of jazz and swing to help promote the William J. Byrd Scholarship at McDaniel College,” says Rob Leonard. “Arguably the only true American-born art form, jazz has served as a constant source of musical and cultural achievement since the early days in New Orleans, Kansas City, Chicago, and St. Louis. It is possibly the greatest form of communication ever created, bridging races, religions, and national boundaries alike.”

Formed in May 1998, Blue Moon Big Band is a 19-piece swing orchestra specializing in the timeless music of the American swing era. Performing for audiences throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, Blue Moon Big Band has entertained at large functions for as many as 3,000 and at more intimate settings for as few as several dozen listeners and dancers. The band, celebrating its ninth year as a Baltimore-based swing orchestra, has performed for private and public audiences in Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and New York. Blue Moon Big Band has recorded four CDs.   

For additional information, visit the Blue Moon Big Band web site: http://www.bluemoonbigband.com/.

McDaniel College, a private four-year college of the liberal arts and sciences, was founded in 1867 as Western Maryland College. Students pursue more than 60 programs of study, including dual majors and student-designed majors.  The 1,600 undergraduates and 1,600 graduate students receive personal attention and take advantage of leadership opportunities in the close-knit community, where the average class size is 17 and professors are dedicated mentors.  The 160-acre campus is located in Westminster, Md., 30 miles northwest of Baltimore and 56 miles north of Washington, D.C.