The Marcus Shelby New Orchestra

Marcus Shelby is a composer, bassist, bandleader, and educator based in San Francisco whose work focuses on African American history, social movements, and music education. Leading the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra since 1999, he has created major works including the suites "Port Chicago" and "Soul of the Movement: Meditations on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." and the oratorio "Harriet Tubman." A Charles Mingus Scholarship recipient and Cal Arts alumnus, Shelby has collaborated extensively with Bay Area arts organizations and received commissions from the Equal Justice Society and Creative Work Fund.