PHOTO PROVIDED The Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band will bring the energy to the Eisenhower Auditorium with a performance on Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

UNIVERSITY PARK — High-octane big band jazz returns to Happy Valley with the Penn State debut of the Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band.

The three-time Grammy Award-winning drummer and his ensemble will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, in Eisenhower Auditorium.

Tickets are $52 for an adult, $14 for a University Park student, and $19 for a person 18 and younger and are available for purchase online. Tickets are also available by calling 814-863-0255 or in person, weekdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at Eisenhower Auditorium.

Avoid the $4-per-ticket online service fee by calling 814-863-0255; or buying in person from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays at Eisenhower Auditorium.

The ensemble is known for its dynamic, energetic and improvisational sets, and for its fresh arrangements of songs by Terence Blanchard, John Coltrane, Marvin Gaye and Nirvana.

Owens started on drums at age three and later went to The Juilliard School on a full scholarship. Today he advocates for a role in education for the arts. He also is the co-founder and artistic director of Don’t Miss a Beat, a charity whose mission is to blend the performing and visual arts with education and achievement to inspire young people.

“We need new generations of listeners, but also people who have not listened to this art form before,” Owens said in a 2022 interview with DownBeat. “One of the things I love about this is that I found people buying this big band record who had never bought a jazz record before, let alone a big band record.”

Watch the Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band perform “Two Bass Hit” at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in 2019.