Frequently Asked Questions

Joining Penn Jazz requires an audition. Auditions for the 2025-26 academic year will be held on September 2nd, 2025 from 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM in Platt 177. Undergraduate students and graduate students are all welcome to try out. Sign up for an audition here. 

Besides organized auditions, rolling auditions may also be offered throughout the year depending on the needs of the band. Auditions will primarily consist of a prepared piece and improvisation, in addition to a scale of your choice and/or sight reading. We may also ask you to jam with a jazz combo consisting of other Penn Jazz members. More information regarding the audition process for your instrument can be found here. 

Penn Jazz auditions are selective due to the number of qualified musicians who try out for us and the limited number of spots available in the band. Please do not be discouraged if you are not selected to join us this time around – there are many other ways to get involved with music at Penn! Additionally, we always invite students to try out again in future audition cycles as vacancies in the band may change year to year. If you are accepted into Penn Jazz, your position in the band is valid for the duration of your time as a student at Penn, assuming you maintain good attendance and conduct. 

Please be sure to reach out to our Current President, Alexander Hyams at info.pennjazz@gmail.com if you have questions about auditions or anything Penn Jazz related.

Penn Jazz produces a show each semester and rehearses weekly leading up to the concerts. We are an ensemble that primarily plays big band and vocal tunes, but we also experiment with other genres that highlight the breadth of our playing. Our two Fall 2025 Shows are tentatively set for Friday, 10/31/25 and Saturday, 11/1/25 in Bodek Lounge (Houston Hall), with a dress rehearsal planned for earlier that week. After our shows, we generally do not rehearse again until the following semester aside from a music recollection gathering. However, jams and get-togethers are always encouraged!

The time commitment for Penn Jazz is 3 hours of big band rehearsal per week on Wednesday nights from 9 PM - 12 AM in Platt Performing Arts House. Sectional rehearsals lasting for 1-2 hours may be sprinkled in at the discretion of section leaders. Our end-of-semester shows range from 1 hour to 90 minutes in duration.

Depending on the availability and interest of our members, we may participate in local jazz festivals and competitions to showcase our work to a broader audience and gain inspiration from our peers at other institutions. 

Rehearsals for the Fall Semester begin on September 3, 2025. 

Jazz at Penn is a pretty cozy space, so there is a lot of overlap in personnel between the two programs. The Jazz Combos, coached by music faculty and directed by Dan Paul (dan@danpaulmusic.com), are 0.5 C.U. ensembles run by the music department that rehearse once a week for an hour and perform short sets each at the end of each semester. The Jazz Combos each have 3-6 members while Penn Jazz is a big band with 20+ members. Penn Jazz often recruits members from the Jazz Combos but remains a separate, student-run club under the umbrella of PAC, SAC, SMAC, and Platt. Much consideration goes into finding concert dates for the two groups that minimize conflicts. 

Within Penn Jazz, we operate our own jazz combos that perform at hired gigs around Penn's campus and in the greater Philadelphia area. These gigs are separate from our end-of-semester concerts that include all personnel. We typically send out combos on an opt-in basis; the President and Executive Board reach out to members to assemble an ensemble for any given gig. Members of the band are encouraged to share gigs amongst each other to help get everyone involved.

The Jazz Combos under the separate direction of Dan Paul may also be offered external gigs at the discretion of the Music Department and the Annenberg Center.