FREE | Saturday, Sept 20, 2025 2:00 p.m. | Forsyth Park

University of North Florida Jazz Studies Program. Thanks to the visionary leadership of Rich Matteson in 1986, UNF’s JE 1 has enjoyed the reputation of being one of the finest collegiate jazz ensembles worldwide. Jazz Ensemble 1 has won numerous group and individual awards and has been invited to perform at prestigious jazz festivals in both the U.S. and in Europe. Jazz Ensemble 1 is the2015 Downbeat award winning undergraduate jazz ensemble. The ensemble also has been invited to perform at International Association of Jazz Educators Conferences in Atlanta, Boston, Miami andNew Orleans, the prestigious Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, the Suncoast JazzFestival in Tampa, the Savannah Jazz Festival, the Mobile Jazz Festival, The Lakeside Jazz Festival,The Orange Blossom Jazz Festival and annually at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival. A special component of the UNF Jazz Studies Program is the Great American Jazz Series, which regularly brings in stellar jazz artists as residents. This series, along with other opportunities, has enabled Jazz Ensemble 1 to perform in concert with more than 100 esteemed artists.