2025 Nebraska All-State Jazz Band

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ALL-STATE JAZZ BAND CONDUCTOR BIO

Dr. Eric Richards – composer, arranger, conductor, trombonist, and educator – is active in a wide range of musical media. His works have been heard worldwide in performances and recordings by numerous ensembles, including the U.S. Army Field Band and Jazz Ambassadors, USAF Airmen of Note, University of Northern Colorado Jazz Lab Band I, Oregon Jazz Ensemble (University of Oregon), National Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops Orchestra, Dallas Wind Symphony, Millikin University Wind Ensemble, A La Carte Brass and Percussion, Tommy Lepson and the Lazy Boys, and Sunrise String Quartet.

Eric is a regularly commissioned composer and arranger. Recent commissions include pieces for the USAF Heritage of America Band, UNC Jazz Lab Band I, UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival All-Star Big Band, Southeast Asia Symphonic Youth Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, Hall High School Concert Jazz Band (West Hartford, CT), the Government of Thailand, and the Aiken Community Band (Aiken, SC).

Eric Richards is the Director of Bands and Jazz Studies at Sheridan College where he serves as Music Director of the SC Symphony Band, Jazz Ensemble, Jazztet, Concert Brass Ensemble, Trombone Choir, and teaches applied brass, composition, History of Jazz, Keyboard Theory, Music Fundamentals. He also serves as the Music Director and Lead Trombone of the Whitney Center Jazz Orchestra, Sheridan College’s professional big band-in-residence.

From 2008 – 2015, he served as tenured Associate Professor of Composition and Jazz Studies in the Glenn Korff School of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he led the Composition Program. At UNL, he mentored first-year through doctoral students in applied composition (classical and jazz/vernacular styles), and organized and led the award-winning UNL Jazz Orchestra “2.0”, an innovative 21st Century jazz ensemble combining traditional big band instrumentation with strings, horn, and percussion. He is the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Teaching Award in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts at UNL. Eric has led the Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming All State High School Jazz Ensembles as well as the Southern California Honor Jazz All-Stars in concert performance at the 2018 NAMM Convention in Anaheim.

His work as an educator is energized by his professional practice as a widely performed composer/arranger, conductor, and instrumentalist. Eric’s music has been heard on six continents in performances and recordings in major concert venues across North and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and India.

2025 ALL-STATE JAZZ BAND REPERTOIRE

TITLE	COMPOSER	PUBLISHER
One By One	Wayne Shorter, arr. by Mark Taylor	Hal Leonard 1963, arr. 2019
Sneak Out	David von Kampen	UNC Jazz Press, 2011
Wichita Lineman	Jimmy Webb, arr. by Eric Richards	Hal Leonard 1968, arr. 2020
All the Things You Are	Jerome Kern, arr. by Michele Fernandez	Hal Leonard 1939, arr. 2024
Ena Neo Pragma	Eric Richards	iJazz Music, 2015
Saints 2nd Line	Traditional, arr. by Eric Richards	iJazz Music, arr. 2017
Vine Street Rumble (backup tune)	Benny Carter	Sierra Music, 1960

2025 ALL-STATE JAZZ BAND SELECTED PARTICIPANTS

The 2025 All-State Jazz Band has been selected and is available for the public to view. We look forward to the 2025 All-State performances and the opportunity to work with such dedicated youth from all across our great state!

View the Results

DIRECTOR INFORMATION

ALL-STATE STUDENT CONTRACT

In order for your students to participate in All-State, they will need to sign and return the Participant Contract. Please note that these participant forms must be MAILED in by directors. Students will not be allowed to participate if this form is not postmarked by November 3rd. Directors will need to send in all signed contracts to:

Papillion LaVista South High School
Attn: Scott Dugdale
10799 NE-370
Papillion, NE 68046

Note: ALL STUDENT CONTRACTS MUST BE NOTARIZED!

Download the 2025 Student Contract

ALL-STATE PRESS RELEASES

NMEA will be handling a mass press release to all newspapers in Nebraska. A press release template will not be included in this year's materials.

ALL-STATE TICKETS FOR NMEA MEMBERS

Ticket pre-sale must be completed online. Please read the following instruction documents carefully. Ticket pre-sale does not begin until October 27. You will not be able to order tickets until the pre-sale starts.

Lied Center Ticket Instructions for NMEA MEMBERS (All Ensembles)

PARENT & LEGAL GUARDIAN INFORMATION

TICKET PRE-SALE FOR CONCERTS AT THE LIED

Ticket pre-sale must be completed online. Please read the following instruction documents carefully. Ticket pre-sale does not begin until October 27. You will not be able to order tickets until the pre-sale starts.