Trombonist, educator and composer Wycliffe Gordon will conduct a 19-piece jazz orchestra in only the second performance of his original score accompanying the 1920 Oscar Micheaux silent film, Within Our Gates. A pioneering race film, and the oldest known film by an African American director, Within Our Gates was created by Micheaux to educate audiences about contemporary racism in the early twentieth century. Gordon’s bluesy, folkloric compositional style is a fitting accompaniment to Micheaux’s directorial debut, and an all-star ensemble is sure to deliver this score with precision and vivacity in the pit of the Lucas Theatre. The first half of this program features performances from the top three finalists from SMF’s Swing Central Jazz.