(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts will welcome vibraphonist Behn Gillece and guitarist Brian Betz to the Prima Studio Theatre for Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon on Sunday, June 1, 2025 at 3:00pm. The Grunin Center is located on the main campus of Ocean County College in Toms River.
New Jersey native and virtuosic vibraphonist Behn Gillece has earned international acclaim as a bandleader, sideman, and recording artist. His performances have graced prestigious stages around the world, including Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and Smalls Jazz Club, as well as major international music festivals such as Montreux, North Sea and Montreal. His latest album, Stick Together (2024), showcases his vibrant, collaborative spirit, performing alongside pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Rudy Royston.
Guitarist and composer Brian Betz is a two-time winner of the Betty Carter International Jazz Competition and a runner-up for the 2006 Henry Mancini Jazz Competition. Betz performs in concerts and offers clinics and masterclasses throughout the United States. His appearances include the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, The Exit Zero International Jazz Festival, the Berks Jazz Festival and the Cape May Jazz Festival.
Beyond performing, both musicians share a commitment to music education. Gillece teaches vibraphone, jazz ensemble, and music theory at Rowan University and shares his expertise through workshops at college and universities around the world. Betz also serves on the faculty at Rowan University, where he teaches jazz guitar and improvisation. He also teaches for Paulsboro Public Schools. In 2018, he was selected by the NJEA and Philadelphia’s FOX 29 as one of the five “Top Teachers” of New Jersey.
Don’t miss this extraordinary afternoon of musical collaboration as Gillece and Betz join creative forces to celebrate jazz. Tickets are $28 for adults and $24 for seniors, and are available for purchase online or by calling 732-255-0500.
Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon is made possible through funding from the Wintrode Family Foundation, the Ocean County College Foundation, and through support from the New Jersey Jazz Society.
For 60 years, Ocean County College, a public two-year community college sponsored by Ocean County and the State of New Jersey, has provided area residents with the opportunity to benefit from higher education. OCC is an innovative academic leader offering affordable, student-centered, high-quality educational experiences that prepare and empower diverse learners to contribute to and succeed in global societies. OCC invests in and fosters academic, economic, and cultural excellence, and ensures financial strength by generating new revenue streams, engaging in national and international university and corporate partnerships, and cultivating a technologically progressive and entrepreneurial spirit.
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