Ricardo Arana (MM ’24) won the 2025 National Band Association Young Jazz Composer Prize. His composition, “Opportunity and Freedom,” was performed at the Midwest Clinic by the United States Air Force Airmen of Note, on December 18, 2025. Learn more at: https://tinyurl.com/UNTArana2025

For the visually impaired: Ricardo is wearing a black tee shirt with a blue jacket. His hair is dark and his eyeglasses are black-rimmed.