The Methodist Ladies’ College Jazz Orchestra is an all-female jazz ensemble made up of young women between the ages of 14 and 18 from Perth, Western Australia.

The MLCJO has the distinction of being one of the few all-girl school jazz orchestras to have appeared regularly at the Montreux International Jazz Festival in Switzerland, playing under my direction in 2014 and 2017. They have been featured at venues and festivals in Austria, Italy, the UK, Latvia, Slovenia, Switzerland and regularly perform in Western Australia. The MLCJO has won consecutive awards at West Australian ABODA Festival and were hosts to the Western Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra’s Young Women in Jazz initiative in 2014 and 2015. The MLCJO plays a wide range of repertoire ranging from jazz standards to contemporary Australian jazz works.

I was involved with the MLCJO from 2013 to 2019 as musical director. It was one of the most exciting and humbling experiences to be so involved with so many amazing young musicians and the artistic planning of this unique organisation.