SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock University’s jazz ensemble will show off the results of a yearlong project at a jazz festival that will begin Saturday afternoon.

The project began in April 2015, when the ensemble applied for funding to complete a group project — commission an entire album’s worth of jazz ensemble music, perform that music across the state and record a CD to make the album available through iTunes and streaming services. The group received funding through the university’s Student Government Association.

The ensemble would eventually commission 10 musical numbers, perform and record with international saxophone superstar Troy Roberts of Perth, Australia, record an album with Grammy Award-winning recording engineer Jay Dudt, and perform the album across Pennsylvania and in New York City.

The group’s adviser, assistant professor Jason Kush, said the project inspired excitement in the students.

“This is the epitome of a student project,” said Kush. “The students are leaders, passionate about the project, and propelling it to success.”

The group will be performing its album this week, featuring Roberts on campus Saturday for SRU’s 16th annual SRU Jazz Festival. The festival also will include performances by high school jazz bands from Seneca Valley and other schools in the region.

The festival will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Swope Recital Hall of the university’s Swope Music Building. From 1 to 4 p.m. groups from high schools will perform, and at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. the festival’s guest musicians will hold master’s classes with students. Both those free events are public.

At 7:30 p.m. Saturday the SRU Jazz Ensemble’s concert will begin. That is a paid event and costs $5 for visitors and $3 for SRU students. Tickets are only available at the door.