The 17th annual Odyssey of the Stars - A Celebration of Artistic Journeys, honors Lance Boyd. Odyssey is a scholarship benefit for students of the UM College of Visual and Performing Arts, and features our finest students and faculty showcasing their talents in an evening of music, theatre, dance, film and art. Enjoy a glimpse of UMArts' creative excellence during this night of unparalleled entertainment.

Lance, UM Professor Emeritus, taught for 43 years at the University of Montana, and is an accomplished music educator, trombonist, and jazz ambassador, and is largely responsible for putting jazz on the map in western Montana. In 1970, Lance took over the nascent jazz band at UM and laid the groundwork for the Jazz Program which currently consists of four big bands, seven combos, and a jazz degree with courses in improvisation, arranging, pedagogy, and history. His creation, the Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival, brings some of the greatest jazz musicians in the world to UM, and provides tremendous entertainment to the fans in Missoula, Montana and beyond.