Acclaimed trumpeter Terell Stafford takes the stage alongside the University's faculty jazz ensemble, the Manzanita Quintet, as they kick-off the 2024 Reno Jazz Festival. Based in New York, Terell Stafford has been hailed as “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player” by piano legend McCoy Tyner. Stafford is recognized as an incredibly gifted and versatile player, he combines a deep love of melody with his own brand of spirited and adventurous lyricism. Stafford’s exceptionally expressive and well-defined musical talent allows him to dance in and around the rich trumpet tradition of his predecessors while making his own inroads.

Considered one of the most creative and distinctive jazz ensembles in the northwestern United States, the Manzanita Quintet features pianist Adam Benjamin, saxophonist Peter Epstein, bassist Hans Halt, drummer Andrew Heglund, and trumpeter Joshua D. Reed. Each of these dedicated instructors maintains a busy individual performance schedule while forming the core of the University of Nevada, Reno's Program in Jazz and Improvisational Music.