Marlyn Martinez remembers standing on stage and peering out at the crowd this past April in Norfolk, Virginia. All 2,500 seats in the concert hall were sold out.
It was a short set, but Martinez put everything she had into the performance.
鈥淚 was definitely hungry after,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ecause I was putting all my energy in it.鈥�
Martinez plays the baritone saxophone with the Huston-Tillotson University Jazz Orchestra.
Last month, out of more than 100 historically Black colleges and universities across the nation, Huston-Tillotson University was one of 12 selected to attend a residency in Norfolk with Wynton Marsalis.
Even if you don鈥檛 recognize the name, there鈥檚 a good chance 鈥� especially if you鈥檙e a fan 鈥� that you鈥檝e heard Marsalis鈥檚 work.
Of the 12 bands, only two were selected to open for Marsalis鈥檚 band, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Huston-Tillotson was one of them.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a crazy opportunity. It鈥檚 an enriching opportunity,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 definitely something that you can鈥檛 get just anywhere.鈥�
It was no small feat getting the Huston-Tillotson Jazz Orchestra to a national stage. That鈥檚 partly because the program didn鈥檛 even exist until about three years ago. That鈥檚 when Jeremy George took a leap of faith and left his job teaching music on the high school level in Florida to develop the jazz program at Huston-Tillotson.
鈥淏efore I moved here and took this job, I didn鈥檛 know anything about Huston-Tillotson University,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou know I was over in Florida like, there's a job opening at Huston-Tillotson? Where? Let me look that up. In Austin?鈥�
Since moving here, George realized that even some people in Austin don鈥檛 know about Huston-Tillotson. It鈥檚 a small, 3-block campus on the east side. There are only about 40 music majors out of about 1,000 students. The music department is more of a music hallway.
鈥淚t鈥檚 harder for us to get students to come because our school doesn鈥檛 have the resume 鈥� you know you can鈥檛 go into an Academy Sports and see Huston-Tillotson shirts,鈥� he said.
George said he was ecstatic when he got the call that Huston-Tillotson was invited to the residency in Norfolk. But being a small school, it also presented a challenge. George didn鈥檛 want his students to miss what he called a "once in a lifetime opportunity," but they needed to raise $30,000 to make it happen.
鈥淎 lot of schools have travel budgets. We don鈥檛 have the same resources,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e had to fundraise every dollar.鈥�
George said he made calls to anyone that would donate to the trip 鈥� even his mom 鈥� and they made it work. Every student got to fly to Norfolk. For some students, it was their first flight ever.
And they didn鈥檛 come back empty handed.
Huston-Tillotson students took home awards for most outstanding piano player, bassist, drummer, tenor saxophone, clarinet soloist, trumpet and reed section.
鈥淭o say that we have been recognized on such a prestigious level in three years, when you have schools that have hundreds of music majors, schools who have huge music buildings, over 100 music faculty, it鈥檚 unheard of,鈥� George said.
Josh Lister, the rising senior who was awarded the most outstanding piano player, said his experience in Norfolk was a blessing. But he's not calling it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
鈥淏ecause I believe we all have great plans and great futures,鈥� he said. 鈥淢usic has the ability to touch and reach people in places that we can鈥檛 physically go. So as long as we keep that up, we鈥檒l touch many lives.鈥�
Lister and Martinez don鈥檛 know when they鈥檒l play in front of another jazz great. But they are gearing up for another performance at one of Austin鈥檚 most sought after venues: the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
The Huston-Tillotson Jazz Orchestra will play weekend two.
