A year before the Huston-Tillotson Jazz Collective first performed at Austin City Limits, the small ensemble played every Friday on the music building’s balcony, letting their music ring across East Austin.
Their weekly performances caught the attention of ACL organizers C3 Presents, located two blocks from the university. After performing at the festival in 2022, the collective gained an annual spot. This year’s Sunday afternoon show during Weekend Two marks their fourth ACL, coinciding with the Huston-Tillotson University’s 150th anniversary.
“This is the year of winning,” said William Oliver, director of university bands and assistant music professor. “This year, being our 150th, it affirms that the musicians who were here in the past may not have gotten as much publicity. Now that we have this, we want to make sure that we connect with them.”
Huston-Tillotson University, founded in 1875 as Tillotson College, is Austin’s oldest higher education institution and only Historically Black College and University, which was recently given the title of No. 1 private HBCU in Texas for 2026 by U.S. News & World Report. Since its ACL performances, recognition at HBCU jazz competitions and a performance at the Lincoln Center, the collective certainly made a name for itself.
“We were so small,” said Jadon Porter, saxophonist and music education fifth-year. “No one knew us, and now we’re performing at ACL. (It’s) heartwarming that we went from nothing to something in my time here.”
In the first years of its ACL performances, the jazz program did not hold auditions for the collective because of its small size. Interest in the program grew, and this year, they held auditions for a second time.
Sydney McCray, vocalist and music education senior, said she came to Huston-Tillotson University as a freshman from Tallahassee, Florida. She didn’t know anything about ACL and joined the collective for its first performance at the festival. Looking forward to her fourth ACL performance, she said it feels impactful, marking the school’s 150th anniversary.
“It’s an honor to be a part of this history,” McCray said. “(When) we’re old, (we can say), ‘(We were) part of the sesquicentennial.’”
Jazz directors Jeremy George and Oliver looked back on their college days at Florida A&M University, performing with Kanye West at the 48th Grammy Awards in 2006 and with Prince at the Super Bowl XLI halftime show in 2007.
“I know what those stages did for me,” George said. “To see this type of opportunity for them, not only just a one-off, but every year, we got a standing spot — it’s wonderful. This is a life-changing performance for them.”
Last year, the performance centered around the theme, “Put Austin back in ACL.” Despite having no final setlist chosen yet, Oliver called this the “year of funk,” with a portion of the show focusing on the genre.
“It’s cool that they make space for some of the lesser-known groups and ensembles,” Oliver said. “As we make a name for ourselves, we’re appreciative that through our students, we can share what we do here at our campus to Austin and beyond.”
