Organ Mountain High jazz students to headline MVJBS April concert
A student jazz ensemble from Organ Mountain High School will headline the Mesilla Valley Jazz and Blues Society’s April concert in Las Cruces.
Knight Life Jazz Experiment will perform first full concert April 19 at Alma d’Arte Charter High School
Organ Mountain News report
LAS CRUCES - A student jazz ensemble from Organ Mountain High School will take center stage later this month as part of the Mesilla Valley Jazz and Blues Society’s April gathering.
Knight Life Jazz Experiment, a seven-piece combo made up of OMHS students, will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 19, at Alma d’Arte Charter High School. The event begins with a 6:30 p.m. social and society update.
The group is led by Roman Cipriani, a longtime Las Cruces music educator and frequent performer with the Mesilla Valley Jazz and Blues Society.
Cipriani formed the ensemble in fall 2025 after students in the school’s Jazz Band 1 expressed interest in expanding their jazz education, particularly in improvisation and performance.
“All the students were eager to improve their skills in both jazz style and improvisation,” Cipriani said.
The group meets three times a week during lunch and regularly performs at the society’s monthly jazz jam at Boba Café and Cabaret on Espina Street.
The April performance will mark the ensemble’s first full concert.
Musicians include Diego Gonzales on alto saxophone, Norah Talbot on baritone saxophone, Lucas Montoya and Josue Ortega on trombone, Edward Remondini on piano, Gavin Escandon on bass guitar and DeMario Medrano on drums.
Admission is $5 for MVJBS members and $10 for non-members. Ticket information is available at mvjazzblues.net.
The society also hosts a monthly jazz jam every third Thursday at Boba Café, where musicians of all experience levels are invited to perform with a house band.
Annual membership is $25 for individuals, $40 for families and $5 for students.
More information is available at mvjazzblues.net or on social media @MVJBS.
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