FWYO Jazz Celebrates Service and Holiday Spirit in Toys for Tots Benefit With U.S. Marines and the Ken Ebo Jazz Orchestra.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fort Worth, TX - November 11, 2025

The Fort Worth Youth Orchestra (FWYO) will host its second annual Jazz for Toys for Tots Benefit Concert on Saturday, December 6 at 7:00pm at TCU’s Van Cliburn Concert Hall. This event will bring together young artists, professional jazz musicians, and the U.S. Marine Corps in a celebration of service, community, and holiday spirit. The event is free with a new, unwrapped toy donation, and reservations are required.

FWYO Jazz is led by retired U.S. Marine and acclaimed bandleader Ken Ebo, whose decades-long commitment to service through music has made this annual Toys for Tots tradition a meaningful community celebration. FWYO students will open the concert before joining the Ken Ebo Jazz Orchestra on stage, performing holiday classics arranged for big band. 

Ebo launched his first Toys for Tots jazz benefit in 1997 while leading the Marines Forces Pacific Jazz Orchestra, and has since produced more than two decades of concerts across the country. The Fort Worth concert series builds on that legacy, placing young musicians at the center of a real civic tradition.

“This concert allows FWYO Jazz students to use their talents to both entertain and communicate artistically, while also giving towards others in something bigger than themselves.” - Ken Ebo

Ebo, who knows firsthand the commitment Marines bring to Toys for Tots, emphasized the local impact:“Each toy donated goes to a local family. Every contribution made here brings the Christmas spirit to children right here in our community.”

The evening highlights the FWYO’s growing role in shaping not only skilled musicians, but also engaged citizens. For the young performers, sharing the stage with professionals offers rare artistic mentorship and a deeper understanding of music as service.

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About FWYO:

Celebrating 60 years of extraordinary music education during the 2024-2025 season, the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra has won local, national, and international recognition as one of the finest youth orchestra programs in the United States. Through ten programs - including four major orchestras, two wind ensembles, a jazz band, Early Childhood Music, FWYO Suzuki School, and chamber programs - the FWYO delivers high-quality musical instruction to nearly 500 students ranging in age from four to eighteen years, representing communities throughout North Texas.

Founded by a community group headed by Betty Utter and under the direction of conductors Ezra Rachlin and John Giordano, the FWYO was founded to promote and inspire the continuing development of musical talent in qualified area youth through intensive education in classical orchestral rooted music and performance. The programs offer students the opportunity to further develop their talent as well as their leadership skills, self-discipline, confidence, and pride in personal achievement. Many of the nearly 20,000 alumni of the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra program have gone on to become members of major symphony orchestras, music educators, or leaders in their fields.

The Orchestra's accomplishments include international concert tours in Europe, Mexico, Canada, and the Far East; music festivals in Switzerland and Washington, D.C.; and numerous other concert appearances across Texas and the Southwest. Its most recent tour in 2024 was to Spain with performances in Barcelona, Valencia, and Cullera. The Youth Orchestra has also been honored to perform with artists such as Van Cliburn, Jose Feghali, Yakov Kasman, Tamàs Ungàr, and John Owings, and composers Morton Gould and Samuel Adler. In 2021, the FWYO also received 2nd in the Youth Orchestra Division of the prestigious American Prize and 3rd place in the 2024 American Prize. The Wind Ensemble also won 1st place in the American Prize Youth Band division in 2024.

Under the leadership of Music Director Dr. Germán Gutiérrez since 2000 and Executive Director Andrew Reynolds since 2021, the FWYO has become one of North Texas’ most prestigious performing arts organizations. In addition to its educational programs, the FWYO owns and operates historic Orchestra Hall, located in Foster Park, which has been home to numerous performing arts organizations since 1975.

Press Inquiries: Lauren Arie - larie@fwyo.org / 817-923-3121 x18