2025 Festival Artists
Saturday, October 4
Mesilla Valley Big Band
The Mesilla Valley Big Band consists of about 16 members from Las Cruces, Deming and El Paso and is led by longtime music educator Johnny Lang. “The members really enjoy making music with each other and it’s a joy for me to be their leader,” says Lang. “Considering its size, Las Cruces has a number of outstanding musical ensembles for the public to choose to listen to. We hope you take time to come out and hear the Mesilla Valley Big Band.”
Desert Stompers
The Desert Stompers is a dynamic student-led traditional jazz band from New Mexico State University, dedicated to keeping the spirit of early jazz alive. Under the guidance of Dr. Jacob Dalager, the ensemble thrives on student leadership and creativity, bringing the infectious energy of Dixieland and swing to audiences near and far. The nine-piece ensemble of NMSU music majors consists of a full horn section, drums, bass and banjo.
Last summer, the Desert Stompers made their debut at the Evergreen Jazz Festival in Colorado, earning praise for their lively performances and working with living traditional jazz legends such as Jeff Barnhart and Andy Schumm. This March, they had the wonderful opportunity to perform twice at the Monterey Jazz Bash.
Third Line Jazz Trio
Third Line Jazz Trio is made up of three Las Cruces musicians, including Mike Sunjka on guitar, Arnold Schnitzer on string bass and Brian Wright on drums. They will delight audiences with charts and arrangements from the Great American Songbook, mid-20th century pop, New Orleans style funk and Brazilian Bossa/Samba. Attendees can look forward to improvisation and interplay among the musicians.
Candice Reyes / Abel Mireles
More information coming soon!
Border Jazz Orchestra
The Border Jazz Orchestra is a professional jazz ensemble comprised of the region’s finest jazz musicians. Founded in 1991 by Dr. Pancho Romero, the BJO has performed with many internationally recognized jazz musicians including Chris Vadala, Hilary Smith, Bobby Shew, Clay Jenkins, Dana Landry and Pete McGuinness.
Members of the ensemble, mostly jazz educators, have toured with jazz greats; "The Glen Miller Band", "Woody Herman", Airmen of Note, Wayne Newton and Elvis Presley. They have performed on stage with Richy Cole, Bill Watrous, Tia Fuller, The Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Sandy Hacket's "Rat Pack" along with decades of jazz performances at jazz festivals and regional concerts.
The ensemble performs a variety of jazz music including the classic big band arrangements of Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Stan Kenton, along with more contemporary compositions and arrangements of Fred Sturm, Gordon Goodwin, Patty Darling, Alan Baylock and Pete McGuinness.