This spring, California’s Berkeley Symphony packed the stage of Zellerbach Hall for a classical-meets-jazz program that featured some special guests: the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble. Christopher Rountree, founder and conductor of the L.A.-based chamber orchestra wild Up, led the concert, which included the orchestra and jazz ensemble performing together in Duke Ellington’s three-movement Black, Brown and Beige from 1943 and Sofia Gubaidulina’s 1976 Concerto for Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Band. The Berkeley Jazz Ensemble has performed widely for decades, in the U.S. and internationally. The group’s current leader is trombonist Sarah Cline, who has led four tours by the ensemble to Cuba and is the founder of the annual JazzGirls Day event encouraging jazz participation by young women.
