SJO Membership

As you can see from our "Musicians" page, a good many of our number have been with the SJO for years. From time to time, however, one or another of our members will be transferred by his employer (we had a Bass Bone player who was transferred to the South Pacific and a Guitar player who was transferred to Puerto Rico!). In addition, there are times when a member is forced to miss a rehearsal or gig because he must be out of town temporarily on a business trip, or because of illness, vacations or other such seen and unforseen situations. When this happens we need to have available qualified substitutes to fill in (or take over if necessary). So . . . openings can and DO occur!



If you would like to be considered in either capacity (regular or "sub"), contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Good sight reading is important and big band or college jazz band experience is helpful. We play professional level arrangements, so range and endurance are also factors to be considered.

We prefer that all regular members of the SJO have a regular "day-gig" and are not dependent on playing for their bread. This is primarily a volunteer endeavor. To be sure, the SJO charges for it's performing services, and we do provide some compensation to our members. However, a Big Band has big expenses such as music; sound and lighting equipment; vehicle purchase, licensing, insurance and storage; uniforms, and other such expenses as normally occur in a group of this kind. The point is...while we DO pay our members, none of us do this with the expectation of making a living wage.

Although it's not an absolute barrier to full membership, we prefer that your day gig does not require frequent and unexpected travel. Obviously, when we've made performance commitments, it can be quite a trial to secure a qualified sub on short notice . . . especially when a key player has to be out of town. All that being said, contact us via phone, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or whatever. We're open to conversation with one and all. In the final analysis, it's all about the music, and nothing but the music!