Jazz Band, Ensemble & Orchestra

Diego Rivera & Mike Sailors, directors 

Program

To Be Announced

About the Artist

Three-time GRAMMY™ Award–winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. is recognized as “a drummer who takes a back seat to no one” and “a musician who balances excitement gracefully and shines with innovation,” according to The New York Times.

A performer, producer, educator, and Global Curator; Owens continues to push boundaries within the jazz world and beyond, maintaining an expansive career as a bandleader, collaborator, author, and cultural leader.

Owens has released ten albums as a bandleader and gained international recognition for his performances on GRAMMY Award–winning albums by Kurt Elling and the Christian McBride Big Band. In 2023, he received his third GRAMMY Award for his participation on an album featuring Steven Feifke, Bijon Watson, and the Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra.

His work has been recognized by Rolling Stone, which named Songs of Freedom a “Top Ten Album of 2019,” and by Jazziz, which selected Soul Conversations as a top album in 2021. That release received widespread critical acclaim, extensive playlist placement, and launched a national tour. The Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band was also named “Rising Star Big Band” by DownBeat in 2022.

Owens has served on the jazz faculty at The Juilliard School for over seven years as small ensemble director. He has also served on Juilliard’s EDIB committee (equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging) and taught workshops through the Alan D. Marks Center for Career Services and Entrepreneurship.

He is the founding artistic director of his family nonprofit organization, Don’t Miss a Beat, which empowers youth through musical theatre and civic engagement at the DMAB Community Arts Center in Jacksonville, Florida.

Owens also joined Drumeo as its inaugural jazz drum instructor and has developed multiple online courses, including 30 Day Jazz Drummer and Jazz Drumming 101. He previously hosted the weekly YouTube series From the Drummer’s Perspective.

Ulysses is expanding his educational reach by launching the Ulysses Owens Jr. Global Intensive Summer Drum Camp in Shanghai and Beijing, China, in August 2026. In partnership with Cashell Music, this initiative offers Chinese drummers the opportunity to study his acclaimed jazz pedagogy while strengthening their alignment with the admission standards of American conservatories and institutions.