Skip to main content
Intellect

Synthesis concert Nov. 18 to feature works by members, alumni

Brigham Young University’s award-winning jazz ensemble Synthesis will be performing Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the de Jong Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available for $8-$11 through the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 422-4322 or at byuarts.com.

“All the pieces in this performance are written by BYU students past and present,” said director Ray Smith. “These are pieces for Synthesis by Synthesis dating as far back as 1981. There is also a dominance of variety of ethnic styles like African, Latin, Spanish, Chinese, Scottish and American.”

In the show they will be performing “Bembe” by Lyle Durland, “It’s a Brand New Day” by Steve Erickson, “Xiao He Tang Shui” by Keke Xu and many other songs by BYU students and alumni.

The ensemble will also take on jazz legend Maria Schneider’s “Buleria, Solea y Rumba,” which Smith describes as “a real tour de force piece.”

Synthesis combines swing, blues, jazz, Latin and fusion styles into one show. The ensemble has performed throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia and has also won festivals in the U.S., Switzerland, Holland and Finland. The student artists have been guest performers at Tokyo Disneyland and in the People’s Republic of China.

For more information on the concert, contact Ray Smith at (801) 422-3391.

Writer: Brandon Garrett

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Want to thrive in your 30s? BYU study says education and service in your 20s are key

July 16, 2025
New BYU research shows that hitting the books and helping others in your 20s leads to a happier, more regret-free life in your 30s.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Wildflowers not wildfires: How BYU and Provo City are helping to restore Rock Canyon Trailhead

July 10, 2025
At Rock Canyon Trailhead in Provo, Utah, BYU researchers are fighting fires with flowers. By replacing a problematic weed called cheatgrass with wildflowers, students and faculty are working to protect and restore one of Provo’s most popular hiking spots.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Wildfires in residential areas are on the rise; why hydrants and the water system behind them were never meant to stop those fires

July 01, 2025
BYU professor Rob Sowby teaches and studies environmental engineering, urban water infrastructure and sustainability. He has particular expertise in the planning, design, construction and operation of public water systems. That expertise has been increasingly important (and regularly sought out) in the wake of apocalyptic wildfires that have taxed those public water systems.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=