This summer CMC is excited to turn the spotlight on our talented faculty members with the return of our annual Shenson Faculty Concert Series! The treasured tradition—supported by the Shenson Foundation—delights with four free and inspiring concerts that put the broad artistic landscape within the CMC community on full display. The concerts highlight unique CMC faculty music projects, supporting them as performing artists and not just instructors to ensure their work is shared and celebrated beyond the classroom and out in our community.
This year’s performers—Marcus Shelby, Omar Ledezma Jr., Angie Zheng, and Jon Jang—will highlight a wide variety of musical styles, orchestrations, and creative inspirations, including original compositions, hidden gems, and traditions from around the globe. They’ll utilize music as a tool for exploring culture, identity, history, and artistic experimentation with collaborators and guest artists that include fellow CMC faculty and alumni!
Marcus Shelby, director of CMC’s Teen Jazz Orchestra, kicks our series off with A Tribute to John Lewis & Modern Jazz Quartet on June 25. With his Marcus Shelby Trio, the program will explore the music of legendary pianist, composer, and influential pioneer of Black American Music, John Lewis, with music written for his iconic Modern Jazz Quartet and other musicians like Miles Davis, alongside original music by Shelby.
Percussion faculty Omar Ledezma Jr stands at the intersection of jazz and Latin American music with Azesu: Music of the Americas on July 23. Featuring an impressive lineup of guest artists, GRAMMY-winning musicians, and fellow faculty members, the Azesu combines Peruvian, Cuban and Venezuelan rhythms with contemporary American jazz for an unforgettable dynamism and blending of traditions.
In August, Angie Zheng (Violin/Viola; Young Musicians Program, Chamber Music Camp) uses the viola as a narrative voice to lead audiences through a myriad of works drawing from oral traditions, landscape-inspired poetry, and folk melodies by Bright Sheng, Caroline Shaw, Pauline Oliveros, Amy Beach, and Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti. Joined by fellow string faculty members Zoe Lee and Michael Long, in addition to Sung Choi, and Aaron Keller, Text(ures): Works for Viola & Strings journeys through eras and harmonic languages for a reflective night of listening.
Piano faculty Jon Jang concludes our incredible series through a retrospective with Jang Journeys: The Music of Jon Jang in the Making of Asian America on August 13. This performance will feature a newly commissioned piece by Jon Jang, along with a selection of his previous work to explore Jang’s musical and personal development through the years, from college life to contemporary, influenced by cultural identity, history, and experience. Jang will serve as the narrator, and feature guest artists Francis Wong, Erika Oba, and Chris Trinidad. CMC alumni Ryan Ancheta and Kevin Amos.
Don’t miss this impressive lineup of Bay Area creativity!
Learn more about this summer’s exciting concerts:
June 25 – Marcus Shelby | A Tribute to John Lewis & Modern Jazz Quartet
July 23 – Omar Ledezma Jr | Azesu: Music of the Americas
August 6 – Angie Zheng | Text(ures): Music for Viola and Strings
August 13 – Jon Jang | Jang Journeys: The Music of Jon Jang in the Making of Asian America
RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/shenson-faculty-concert-series-2026-4841962