The Northwestern State University Jazz Orchestra will present a concert Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall.

The concert is dedicated to F.B. Ward. Admission is free and open to the public, but donations will be accepted for the F.B. Ward Jazz Scholarship at NSU.

As a musician and band director Ward had a long and distinguished career teaching young musicians in Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana, competing in contests, arranging music and performing jazz standards with different ensembles. He was the director of bands in many schools in including DeQueen, Arkansas; Hooks and Atlanta, Texas; and Jonesboro-Hodge and Natchitoches in Louisiana. He later served as principal at Natchitoches Parish schools, including Goldonna, Campti and Gorum.

Galindo Rodriguez will conduct the orchestra. Members of the Jazz Orchestra are saxophones Jack Salyer of Duncanville, Texas, Laura Lovell of West Monroe, Kenyon Johnson of DeRidder, Ian Cassidy of Madisonville and Jack Dyre of Canton, Texas and trombones Wes Scholten of Temple, Texas, John Floyd of Henderson, Texas, Michael Dailey of West Monroe and Benjamin Wiltz of Krotz Springs.

The orchestra also includes trumpets Francisco Ballestas Sayas and Carlomango Leon Jimenez of Cartagena, Colombia, Lane Clevenger of Bush, Nathan Roth of Luling and Kazue Seo of Kagawa, Japan, Ronald Rodriguez of Cartagena, Colombia, and James Armstrong of Natchitoches on piano, Jose Colon-Marrugo of Cartagena, Colombia and Rickie Ventura of San Pedro Sula, Honduras on bass, Jimmy Leach of Longview Texas, on bass, Jair Morelos Castilla of Cartagena, Colombia, on Latin percussion and Austin Pierce of Gray and Addison Pellegrino of Burleson, Texas on drumset.

The orchestra will perform “The Heat’s On” by Sammy Nestico featuring Johnson and Pellegrino, “Alexander’s Big Time Band” by Tom Kubis, featuring Scholten, Cassidy, Leach and Johnson, “Who Can I Turn To” by Kubis featuring Ronald Rodriguez and “Just a Pretty Little Thing” by Kubis featuring Seo.

Also on the program are “Little Pixie II” by Thad Jones featuring the sax section, Armstrong, Scholten and Leach, “Moanin’” by Charles Mingus featuring Dyre, Cassidy, Rodriguez, Johnson and Salyer, Mike Steinel’s “Samba de Los Gatos” featuring Salyer, Johnson, Leach, Sayas and Rodriguez and “The Chicken” by Alfred James Ellis and arranged by Kris Berg featuring Armstrong, Lovell, Floyd, Dailey, Wiltz and Marrugo.