This is the Maria Schneider Orchestra, which jazz critics regard as the finest jazz big band today.

Composer and conductor Maria Schneider, who leads the orchestra, is a jazz legend who has won seven Grammy Awards.

[Maria Schneider / Composer and Conductor: The reason I love big bands is that they can encompass the colors of all instruments. They can produce a massive sound that feels like a heavy wave rolling in from the front, but they can also produce transparent and beautiful sounds. With just two or three people playing, you can create delicate moments similar to a small group. You can achieve contrast that way. It is difficult to create this level of contrast in a small ensemble.]

However, their performances can rarely be found on online platforms.

This is because she refuses to upload her music in protest of a music industry structure where giant platforms reign over creators.

Her performance albums are also produced directly through fan crowdfunding, bypassing traditional record labels and distribution networks, and are sold on her official website.

[Maria Schneider / Composer and Conductor: When people participate in a single project, they can see videos of the process of us making the album and me talking about composition. They get to experience the entire album production process. This approach has brought people closer to the music.]

In fact, listening to their live performances is no easy task either.

Since every member is a world-class musician, coordinating their schedules to perform together amounts to only about two weeks a year.

[Maria Schneider / Composer and Conductor: Getting all of these musicians on one stage is like aligning planets. It is like waiting in the exact spot to see a solar eclipse, hoping that clouds won't form that day. Well, everyone managed to gather this time.]

For their hard-earned first performance in Korea, Schneider expressed her anticipation for connecting with Korean audiences for the first time.

[Maria Schneider / Composer and Conductor: I have learned from long experience that when musicians can see the faces of the audience, they can feel the audience's reaction and thus deliver a better performance. Having an enthusiastic audience makes it much easier. I am truly glad to hear that Korean audiences are like that.]

In their music, where even improvisation is delicately melted into the flow of the pieces, the core element pointed out by Schneider was "listening," something we also need today.

[Maria Schneider / Composer and Conductor: During the solo section, I usually make judgments by listening to when the orchestra should come in. Normally, it is a section where the orchestra comes in strongly, but the solo player might pull it in a different direction. Then I change it, thinking, "No, no, let's enter softly." So the performance can change every time we play. That is also what makes it fun. Everyone has to listen to each other's sound. Listening well is the key.]

(Reported by Kim Gyeong-hui | VJ: Oh Se-gwan | Video Editing: Yoon Tae-ho | Footage provided by Maria Schneider Orchestra | Produced by SBS Digital News)