Last Sunday evening, the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra filled The Music Hall with the sounds of the celebrated composer’s extraordinarily colorful compositions. During the two-hour-plus performance, Schneider and her orchestra provided the large and enthusiastic audience with a mesmerizing look at her musical world, music that was stylistically diverse and full of rich textures and pulsating rhythms.

Schneider’s compositional inspirations come from a variety of sources—childhood memories from her hometown of Windom, Minn.; various forms of dance music; and her own daily personal experiences. Her compositions offer a diverse tapestry of folk-like melodies and shifting harmonies and rhythms that have a danceable quality. This was evident on pieces such as “Concert in the Garden,” inspired by a poem by Octavio Paz; “Choro Dancado,” which is based on a Brazilian dance style; the beautiful ballad “Sky Blue” and the energetic and stunning closer “Hang Gliding.”

The centerpiece of the concert was a new composition titled “The Pretty Road,” which was co-commissioned by The Music Hall, the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College, the Flynn Theatre in Burlington, Vt., and Penn State University. The piece, dedicated to Schneider’s hometown, is an incisive blend of structured material with open, freer passages.

Schneider’s music also serves as a platform to showcase the many solo talents from within the orchestra. Pianist Frank Kimbrough’s work was a delight all through the evening. Saxophonist Steve Wilson turned in a wonderfully poignant solo on “Sky Blue.” Trumpeters Ingrid Jensen and Greg Gisbert turned in imaginative solos on “Sky Blue” and “Hang Gliding,” respectively. Saxophonist Donny McCaslin tore the house up on his features on “Coming About” and “Hang Gliding.” Guitarist Ben Monder was exceptional on “Concert in the Garden” and tenor saxophonist Rich Perry was thoughtfully melodic on “Choro Dancado.” Baritone saxophonist Scott Robinson, sporting a broken leg, was featured on the wonderful encore, “Sea of Tranquility.”

Special kudos go out to the superb lead trumpet work of Tony Kadleck; the remarkable bass-drum tandem of Jay Anderson, who provided a rock-solid foundation, and Clarence Penn, whose drum and percussion work provided the right shadings all throughout the evening. Thanks to the work of a gifted composer and her orchestra, this was one of the truly special musical evenings The Music Hall has become noted for.