Carroll Community College is welcoming the community to its Spring Music Events with a lineup of free concerts and educational workshops that highlight global jazz influences, improvisation, and the powerful role of music in storytelling.

All performances will take place at The Hill Theater in the Scott Center, with accompanying workshops held earlier in the day in the PNC Rehearsal Hall (Room T404). The events are open to the public.

The series begins Thursday, March 5, with an afternoon Composition Workshop at 2:30 p.m., followed by an evening performance at 7 p.m. by the Venture Bound Quintet, led by internationally acclaimed pianist and composer Alon Nechushtan.

Born in Tel Aviv and now based in New York, Nechushtan is recognized for blending jazz, classical, and global influences into what critics describe as a fearless and boundary-defying sound.

His work has been performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, and Blue Note Jazz Club. Over his career, he has released 10 internationally distributed albums and collaborated with leading figures in contemporary jazz.

Jazz Times Magazine writer Thomas Conrad praised Nechushtan’s ensemble, stating, “The single most salient fact about current jazz is its ongoing globalization.

Jazz is an open-ended, self-renewing art form that draws strength from sources far outside itself. Example: Venture Bound. It is hardcore, up-to-the-minute small-ensemble jazz with a unique sonic signature.”

Nechushtan describes one of his albums as “a continuous journey through a New York night seeking adventure,” a concept that reflects his layered compositional approach and improvisational spirit.