Students can hear a variety of music at no cost by attending the Jazz Lab Band Concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Doudna Fine Arts Center’s Black Box Theatre.

The concert, an 18-piece ensemble under the direction of music professor Paul Johnston, will perform a variety of contemporary works and classic jazz compositions.

“Some of the compositions we will be performing include works by Oliver Nelson, Quincy Jones and Richard Rogers,” Johnston said.

The program will also feature vocalist Logan Schmidt.

Johnston said the band is excited to share the music they have been working on with the audience.

The Jazz Lab Band consists of mostly music majors, though there are some non-majors, Conor Baltz, assistant technical director of Doudna and drum set player for the band, said. It provides an opportunity for students to gain experience with big band repertoire, Baltz said.

Rehearsals emphasize the fundamentals of stylistic interpretation, articulation and improvisation.

“We have a lot of really fun music to share, and it is always an exciting concert,” Baltz said. “We are performing in the Black Box for this concert, which is unique because it is a very intimate setting, especially for a big band.”

The band has been rehearsing for the concert every Tuesday and Thursday since the beginning of the semester, Baltz said.

“It is a lot of work to get a full concert put together, but it is always rewarding to be able to play for an audience,” Baltz said. “This is our first concert of this semester, but most of the musicians in the band also played with the group last semester.”

Although the concert is free to anyone, seating is limited in the theater.

“We really encourage everyone to come out and have a great time, but we strongly suggest they show up a little early so they can get seats,” Baltz said. “We really hope to provide a great show for the audience, and we hope that they will enjoy the hard work we have put into our performance.”

Andrew Paisley can be reached at 581-2812 or at abpaisley@eiu.edu.