LA Welcomes First Resident Jazz Orchestra in Nearly Two Decades

by Linda A. Rapka

Aiming to entertain and enrich the local community of Los Angeles as well as the global community through performance and education, the newly formed Pacific Jazz Orchestra is the ambitious innovation of Chris Walden, a seven-time GRAMMY-nominated arranger/conductor who serves as the orchestra’s artistic director and conductor.

“I’ve been arranging and conducting for recording artists and for TV and film for 30 years, but I’m now at a point in my career and my life where I wanted to fulfill my own musical vision,” Walden said. “Having worked a lot with symphony orchestras as well as with big bands, I wanted to create a hybrid ensemble that embodies both. And with this 40-piece ensemble we’re able to play jazz as well as symphonic material.” Continue reading →