ABOUT FJCO
The award winning Fellowship Jazz Center Orchestra, founded in April 2025, is Sioux Falls’ premier big band, igniting the stage with the region’s top jazz talent. Following multiple electrifying performances, the FJCO has quickly become a driving force in the local music scene—honoring the legacy of big band jazz while elevating fresh, diverse voices with world class energy, precision, and artistry. The Fellowship Jazz Center Orchestra is led by Daniel Heier, executive and artistic director, and CJ Kocher, musical director.
VIDEO
The Directors
Daniel Heier | Drums | Executive Director and Artistic Director
Daniel is a drummer, educator, and arts leader based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. With a strong foundation in jazz and commercial music, he has performed regionally, nationally, and internationally. He leads his own quartet and performs with the Fellowship Jazz Center Orchestra, JAS Quintet, Fellowship Jazz Collective, and Jazz Curators. The JAS Quintet was selected for the prestigious Jazz Roads Grant in 2024.
Daniel is the Founder and Director of Fellowship Jazz Center, a nonprofit dedicated to jazz performance, education, and community engagement. He has shared the stage and/or studio with Jami Lynn, Jesse Christen, Andrea Ross, Alyssa Allgood, Naama, Phil Mattson, Calle Sur, and the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, among many others. He also serves with the 147th Army Band in Mitchell, SD.
Dr. CJ Kocher | Alto Saxophone | Musical Director
Dr. Christopher J. Kocher is a jazz saxophonist, educator, and bandleader serving as Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies at the University of South Dakota since 1999. He is the Musical Director of the Fellowship Jazz Center Orchestra, leading Sioux Falls’ premier professional big band with ambitious, historically rooted programming. An active performer, he appears with his own quartet, USD Faculty Jazz, and the Okoboji Jazzed Up Big Band. He has toured Japan three times as lead alto saxophonist with the Billy Vaughn Orchestra. Dr. Kocher has performed with Frank Mantooth, Steve Wiest, Matt Wilson, Scotty Barnhart, Denis DiBlasio, Al Jarreau, Mercedes Ellington, the Temptations, the Les Brown Orchestra, and the Jimmy Dorsey Big Band. He holds a Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Colorado and continues to shape the region’s jazz community through performance and mentorship.
Interested in booking the Fellowship Jazz Center Orchestra?