2026 - 2027 Rio N.Y.N.
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Hello and Welcome
Rio N.Y.N. is the longest running vocal jazz ensemble at Rio Linda High School. It was established in 2005 which was Mr. Murray's first year at Rio Linda High School.
The class began as "choir advanced." Mr. Murray quickly turned it into a vocal jazz ensemble with some classical songs thrown in with the jazz pieces. The group entered the festival arena for the first time in the history of the school in January of 2006 by attending the Folsom Jazz Festival.
The ensemble, over the years, has performed at Folsom Jazz Festival, Reno Jazz Festival, Santa Cruz Jazz Festival, CSU Sacramento Jazz Festival, Columbia College Jazz Festival, Oceanside Jazz Festival, Fullerton Jazz Festival, The Sacramento Music Festival, Music In The Parks Music Festival - Santa Clara, Vallejo, and Anaheim, Disney Jazz (Anaheim, CA), Disney Performing Arts (Anaheim, CA).
N.Y.N. has passed auditions to perform at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai China, the Olympics in 2014 in London England, The Manhattan Jazz Festival, Disney Jazz in Florida, and The New York Voices Jazz Festival in Chicago.
We will be reviewing music & Jazz fundamentals. We will be focusing on close harmonies, intermediate to advanced vocal techniques, beginning to intermediate jazz vocal techniques, beginning to intermediate vocal improv techniques, beginning jazz piano - voicings of chords, arranging pieces for performance, and jazz theory. We will be performing difficulty level 1 to 3 charts from contemporary arrangers such as Jeremy Fox, Roger Emerson, Kerry Marsh, Kirby Shaw, Craig Murray, and Michele Weir.
This ensemble will be limited to 12 to 16 singers - one on a mic. The reason is that jazz festivals usually provide 12 mics with an occasional festival providing 16. You will be expected to hold your part as part of a quartet in rehearsals and on stage. We will be doing from 3 to 5 part harmony plus a solo line. We perform with a jazz combo.
Performances
We will have three home performances (Winter Concert, Spring Concert, and Pops Concert) as well as a performance at the District Festival Of The Arts.
We will attend a few festivals each year. The ones with an " * " are confirmed and the ones with the " ^" are open for discussion.
CSU Sacramento Jazz Festival
Folsom Jazz Festival
Woodcreek Jazz Festival
D. F. O. T. A. - Festival of the Arts
Columbia Jazz Festival
Spring Tour - Music In The Parks Music Festival - Whole Department (Vallejo CA)
We will have other "outside" performances other than those listed. We will be singing Christmas Carols in December for the Christmas Parade in Rio Linda. And as they come up I will let you know and see if we can do them. If it is more than 2 weeks before we will make it "required" and if it is less than those two weeks then we can see who can make it.
National Anthem - This year we will be learning the national anthem as a soloist, trio, quartet, and choir. We have many requests to go and perform the song for sporting events, meetings, etc.
2026 - 2027 Repertoire
Winter Concert (December 10, 2026) - w/Combo
Opener - Chameleon - Written by: Herbie Hancock, Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason, and
Bennie Maupin, Arranged by: Craig Murray
Closer - Sing, Sing, Sing - Written by: Louis Prima, Arranged by: Mark Brymer
CSU Sacramento Jazz Festival (December 12, 2026) - w/Combo
Opener - Chameleon - Written by: Herbie Hancock, Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason, and
Bennie Maupin, Arranged by: Craig Murray
Ballad - Land Of Pure Imagination - Written by: Leslie Neley & Anthony Bricuse,
Arranged by: Greg Murai, Edited with permission by: Craig Murray
Closer - Sing, Sing, Sing - Written by: Louis Prima, Arranged by: Mark Brymer
Folsom Jazz Festival (January 23, 2027) - w/Combo
Opener - Chameleon - Written by: Herbie Hancock, Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason, and
Bennie Maupin, Arranged by: Craig Murray
Ballad - Land Of Pure Imagination - Written by: Leslie Neley & Anthony Bricuse,
Arranged by: Greg Murai, Edited with permission by: Craig Murray
Closer - Sing, Sing, Sing - Written by: Louis Prima, Arranged by: Mark Brymer
Woodcreek Jazz Festival (February 6, 2027) - w/Combo
Opener - Chameleon - Written by: Herbie Hancock, Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason, and
Bennie Maupin, Arranged by: Craig Murray
Ballad - Land Of Pure Imagination - Written by: Leslie Neley & Anthony Bricuse,
Arranged by: Greg Murai, Edited with permission by: Craig Murray
Closer - Sing, Sing, Sing - Written by: Louis Prima, Arranged by: Mark Brymer
District Festival (March 25, 2026) - (w/backing tracks)
1. Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen - Written by: Arranged by: Craig Murray
2. Chameleon - Written by: Herbie Hancock, Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason, and
Bennie Maupin, Arranged by: Craig Murray
3. Peroxide Swing - Written by Andrew Van Slee, Arranged by Steve Zegree & Sarah Zegree
Spring Concert (March 26, 2026) - Combo
Opener - Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen - Written by: Arranged by: Craig Murray
Closer - Sing, Sing, Sing - Written by: Louis Prima, Arranged by: Mark Brymer
Spring Tour - Six Flags MITP (May 8, 2027) - (w/backing tracks)
Opener - Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen - Written by: Arranged by: Craig Murray
Ballad - Land Of Pure Imagination - Written by: Leslie Neley & Anthony Bricuse,
Arranged by: Greg Murai, Edited with permission by: Craig Murray
Closer - Sing, Sing, Sing - Written by: Louis Prima, Arranged by: Mark Brymer
Pops Concert - (May 13, 2027) - (w/backing tracks)
Opener - TBD
Ballad - TBD
Vocal Jazzers - We will be performing at Music In The Parks Six Flags, Vallejo - May 8, 2027 with the rest of the department.
Uniforms
Ladies: Jazz Swing Dresses, black closed toe flats (no more than 1 inch heels), both the gold and the red belts (we’ll choose before we go on), and nude nylons (whatever is appropriate for you).
Gentlemen: 2-piece tuxedos, black long-sleeved collared shirt, crazy cool tie, black dress shoes (no boots) and, black dress socks.
You will have a Music Handbook packet to fill out and sign, as will your parental unit(s) (parents, guardians, etc.)
Fundraising - All funds that are raised via a fundraising effort sponsored by the Music Department (regardless of where it is held) remains in the department should you decide to leave the ensemble. If we have your consent form to do the LA Swing (Oceanside Jazz Festival, etc.) then we have already spent that money on your behalf based on your signature, and that of your guardian/parent.
Travel - Beginning 2021 we changed our travel patterns. We will be going to local festivals and one big festival each year. Beginning in Fall 2025 we will discuss more than these festivals prior to the end of the previous school year.
MrM
MrM
2026 - 2027 Schedule
for Jazz Vocals
2026 - 2027 Schedule
for Jazz Vocals
2026
Date What is the performance Required?
8/3 – 8/6/2026 Vocal Jazz Camp (at RLHS) 2pm - 5pm Required
10/17/2026 Combo Rehearsal – 8 - 12noon Required
11/14/2026 Combo Rehearsal – 8 - 12noon Required
12/5/2026 Combo Rehearsal – 8 - 12noon Required
12/10/2026 Winter Concert (Large Gym) Required
12/12/2026 CSUS Jazz Festival (All Day) Required
2027
Date What is the performance Required?
01/9/2027 Rehearsal with the combo 8 - 12n Required
01/23/2027 Folsom Jazz Festival - All Day Required
01/30/2027 Rehearsal with the combo 8 - 12n Required
02/06/2027 Woodcreek Jazz Festival - All Day Required
02/11/2027 DFOTA Choir Rehearsal 9:30 am - 12:30pm Required
02/27/2027 Columbia Jazz Festival - All Day Required
03/04/2027 DFOTA Choir Rehearsal 9:30 am - 12:30pm Required
03/10/2027 District Festival of the Arts (w/tracks) Required
03/18/2027 Spring Concert (Large Gym) Required
04/17/2027 Rehearsal with the combo 8 - 12n Required
04/23-24/2027 L.P.A.A. California Jazz Championships Required
05/06/2027 National Anthem Auditions Optional
05/08/2027 Department Spring Tour – Vallejo Six Flags Required
05/13/2027 Pops Concert / Awards Ceremony Required
From the beginning of the program, 2005-2006, the rules for performances and tech rehearsals are:
You must attend all vocal performances that have been listed at the outset of the year as well as the rehearsals known as combo rehearsals or tech rehearsals (these are required). If we get a performance that doesn't give you at least 2 weeks advance notice that performance is up for debate. If you should choose to miss a performance and/or a tech/combo rehearsal you will fail this class for the entire semester. Performances are not optional. Tech/Combo Rehearsals are NOT optional.
A family emergency is: mother, father, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather have had a life threatening injury or accident (all others are not valid), or a death of said family members. Not my great aunt has to fill out her EBT forms. This is an academic, CSU/UC "F" credit bearing class/ensemble. No other excuses will trigger the "save my grade" portion of the grading policy.
To save your grade from missing a performance and/or a tech/combo rehearsal that your director has deemed worthy of triggering you must do the following:
You are to write a 5,000 word essay in APA format
The title is "Vocal Music and it's Growth in the 20th Century."
You must attend a vocal performance of either a CSUS or ARC vocal jazz performance as set forth by your director.
You must get a program for said performance and have 3 players/singers and the director (if possible) sign the program
You must connect what they performed to your paper in such a way that we can see the way music has grown through out the 20th century.
2024/2025 Rio N.Y.N.
Several Superior Ratings at Music In The Parks in both Los Angeles and Santa Clara with wonderful performances at CSUS Winter Jazz, Folsom Jazz Festival and, The District Festival Of The Arts.
2022 - 2023 Rio N.Y.N
at Fullerton Jazz Festival and Disneyland
The Music Department Performing Ensembles at Music In The Parks 2022. 3 first place finishes, 3 superior ratings, 2 second place finishes, 2 excellent ratings, 1 overall best choir.
Rio NYN (2022) at the Fullerton Jazz Festival and Disneyland.
Rio N.Y.N. at Disneyland after their performance at Fullerton College Vocal Jazz Festival.
Rio N.Y.N. at Music In The Parks Superior Rating first place finish and the overall best choir. This year they shot 196 out of 200.
Rio NYN / 'nightwind in Disneyland
Rio NYN / 'nightwind with Michele Weir
From the beginning of the program, 2005-2006, the rules for performances and tech rehearsals are:
You must attend all vocal performances that have been listed at the outset of the year as well as the rehearsals known as combo rehearsals (these are required). If we get a performance that doesn't give you at least 2 weeks advance notice that performance is up for debate. If you should choose to miss a performance and/or a tech/combo rehearsal you will fail this class for the entire semester. Performances are not optional. Tech/Combo Rehearsals are NOT optional.
A family emergency is: mother, father, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather have had a life threatening injury or accident (all others are not valid), or a death of said family members. Not my great aunt has to fill out her EBT forms. This is an academic, CSU/UC F credit bearing class/ensemble. No other excuses will trigger the "save my grade" portion of the grading policy.
To save your grade from missing a performance and/or a tech/combo rehearsal that your director has deemed worthy of triggering you must do the following:
You are to write a 5,000 word essay in APA format
The title is "Vocal Music and it's Growth in the 20th Century."
You must attend a vocal performance of either a CSUS or ARC vocal jazz performance as set forth by your director.
You must get a program for said performance and have 3 players/singers and the director (if possible) sign the program
You must connect what they performed to your paper in such a way that we can see the way music has grown through out the 20th century.
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