Instrumental musicians have “jazzed up” melodies familiar to them in the style of their day for centuries.

On Orcas, this tradition has inspired more than six years of creating a performance that blends the best of jazz and classical worlds.

The “Yuletide Baroque and Beyond: Jazzin’ with the Classics for Christmas” is Thursday, Dec. 27 at 2 p.m. at Emmanuel Episcopal.  Admission is free, and donations will be accepted.

The concert features soprano Linda Tsatsanis, jazz flutist Martin Lund (who will also play clarinet and piano), classical flutist Jeffrey Cohan and jazz guitarist Gene Nery.

These  artists meld their musical perspectives in celebration of the Yuletide season, say organizers. Tsatsanis, Lund, Cohan and Nery will team up to bridge contemporary improvisational jazz and the “art music” of baroque and renaissance times.

This group is known for virtuoso improvisations on Yuletide favorites, and their unique renditions of classical standards such as arias from Handel’s Messiah.

The performers

Tsatsanis, of Seattle, has been described as “possessing sheer vocal proficiency, a bright, flexible voice, big but controlled, shaded with plentiful color” by the Boston Globe.

Lund, a Orcas resident and musician, is known for moving freely through any style of music from classical to rock to jazz to Broadway.

Nery, also an Orcas resident, has traveled the world performing as a vocalist and guitarist.

Cohan has performed as soloist in 25 countries, both on modern and early transverse flutes from the Renaissance through the present.