Auditions Are Open to All Young Musicians, Grades 6 to 10!
Kimmel Center Education Department welcomes all young musicians, grades 6 10, to audition for the Kimmel Center Youth Jazz Ensemble on Saturday, September 26, 2009 from Noon to 3pm in the Kimmel Centers Merck Arts Education Center.
Those interested in auditioning must register online at www.kimmelcenter.org/education or by calling the Education Projects Coordinator at 215-670-2371 by Wednesday, September 23, 2009. Auditions consist of sight reading and improvisation. All materials are supplied. There is no charge to audition or to participate in the ensemble.
The Kimmel Center Youth Jazz Ensemble is the first regional ensemble originally comprised primarily of middle school students specializing in jazz; it has since expanded to include students up through 10th grade. The ensemble provides gifted young artists a hands-on professional-level musical experience, as they train with Kimmel Center Teaching Artist and Education Technology Coordinator Marc D. Johnson and accomplished special guest jazz musicians.
Former Kimmel Center Youth Jazz Ensemble students include Justin Faulkner, who is currently the drummer of Branford Marsalis Quartet; ensemble members have received admission to prestigious undergraduate programs including those at the Manhattan School of Music, Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, New York University, University of the Arts, Temple University and the U.S. Naval Academy, among others.
The ensemble practices at the Kimmel Center on Saturday mornings from October through May, and performs regularly at the Kimmel Center and throughout the region as ambassadors for the Kimmel Center to the community.
Performances at the Kimmel Center during the 2009/10 season include:
- Winter Concert on December 12, 2009 at Noon
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration on January 15, 2010 at Noon
- Music In Our Schools Month Concert on March 27, 2010 at 12:30pm
- Jazz Appreciation Month Concert on April 24, 2010 at Noon
- Summer Solstice Celebration on June 19, 2010
The Kimmel Center's Education Department is sponsored by The Sidney Kimmel Foundation, The Barra Foundation, PNC Foundation, Wachovia Foundation, CitizensBank Foundation, Comcast Foundation, Lincoln Financial Foundation, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Verizon Foundation, Inc., Aetna Foundation, The McClean Contributionship, JPMorgan, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel J. Savitz, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation, The Presser Foundation, Boscia Family Foundation, Dr. Richard M. Klein and Lomax Family Foundation.
For more information contact Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
