A smooth ride over eclectic terrain

What does it take to be a professional musician in today’s world? Finding the answer to that vital question was one of the principal goals that the late Jack Elliot had in mind when he founded the Henry Mancini Institute nearly a decade ago.

And on Saturday night at Royce Hall, this year’s HMI Orchestra -- an 80-plus member, all-scholarship ensemble -- had its first encounter with the diversity that Elliot felt was an essential part of the answer.

The program, the first of seven free public concerts scheduled over the course of the Institute’s four-week 2003 session, embraced everything from Mancini’s spirited music (“Life Force”) and vintage Duke Ellington (“Night Creature”) to John Adams’ rhythmically complex “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” and Gunther Schuller’s pioneering “Concertino for Jazz Quartet and Orchestra” (conducted by the composer).

That’s an eclectic enough program to challenge any orchestra, and the most impressive aspect of the evening was the manner in which the ensemble moved so smoothly through such a wide spectrum of musical demands.

“Night Creature,” for example, is a piece that expands the unique Ellington big band sound into the size and scope of a full symphonic orchestra. The HMI players, conducted by Schuller, superbly captured the massed string passages, as well as the Ellingtonian saxophone textures. And pianist Mimako Kitaura -- here, as well as amid the overlapping dissonances and accelerating rhythms of the Schuller Concertino -- added solos blending crisp, classical accuracy with a propulsive swing.

Other highlights of the program were equally compelling: an impressive rendering of the rapidly shifting metric patterns of the Adams work, precisely conducted by J. Karla Lemon; HMI composer participant Adam Waite’s “The Tool Collector,” a piece that seamlessly contrasted the tonal qualities of jazz horns and symphonic ensemble; and Patrick Williams’ patchwork quilt of national anthems in “Overture to a Time.”

Finally, there was the warm-textured voice of Chilean-born singer Claudia Acuna.