The Carter Arts and Lecture Series Committee is pleased to invite the community to welcome Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) to Bainbridge with a special performance by the ABAC Jazz Ensemble on Thursday, March 8, beginning at 7 p.m., in the Charles H. Kirbo Regional Center Auditorium.

Prior to the event, beginning at 6 p.m., the doors will open to the auditorium and ABAC Student Services will be available in the lobby for questions related to enrollment, programs, scholarship opportunities and more. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required for entry.

The ABAC Jazz Ensemble has performed throughout the eastern United States, Mexico and Europe. The ensemble has been on three European tours performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam and the opening of the Tour de France in London.

In the United States, the group has performed for the opening of the Olympic Games, the Georgia Governor’s Art Awards Ceremonies, the New Orleans Heritage and Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Cocoa Beach Jazz Festival and two World’s Fairs. The ensemble has been featured at Disney World, Epcot Center, Sea World, and Six Flags over Georgia, as well as various arts and music festivals throughout the region.

Every year, the ensemble embarks on a regional tour, performing at high schools in the area and culminating in a performance at a major jazz festival such as the Lakeside Jazz Festival or the Pensacola Jazz Festival.

In addition, each year the Jazz Ensemble sponsors a jazz festival at the college, in which regional and state jazz bands participate. The festival consists of performances, jazz clinics, and workshops with a well-known jazz educator and performing artist.

The artist is featured in an evening concert, often backed by the ABAC Jazz Ensemble. Past festivals have showcased such jazz greats as Nat Adderley, Bobby Shew, Victor Goines, Bill Watrous and Kevin Mahogany, as well as the ensembles of Branford Marsalis, Steve Turre, Joe Lovano, Maynard Ferguson and Count Basie to name a few.

For more information about the ABAC Jazz Ensemble, please visit www.abac.edu.