SANTA MONICA, CA. (Top40 Charts/ GRAMMY Foundation) - The GRAMMY Foundation announced today that 30 talented high school students from across North
America have been selected for positions in the 2008 Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles. Their selection launches them into the spotlight surrounding the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards, and provides them with unparalleled opportunities to perform in front of some of music's biggest names. Since 2003, Gibson Guitar and Baldwin Piano have partnered with the GRAMMY Foundation to provide students with this extraordinary musical experience. The students, who represent 26 cities and 14 states, will travel to Los Angeles for a weeklong musical adventure under the direction of Justin DiCioccio of the Manhattan School of
Music and Dr. Ron McCurdy of the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.
The Ensembles will then perform at various GRAMMY Week events including a public performance with GRAMMY-nominated trumpeter Christian Scott as guest artist at the Vic (Feb. 8). Several members of Scott's band are former members of the Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles, so the evening's performance will give the audience a chance to see the scope of the talent in the program. As a grand finale, they will perform at the GRAMMY Celebration after party, as well as attend the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 10 as guests of The Recording Academy.
"The young people selected to participate in the Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles are highly motivated and exceptionally talented vocalists and instrumentalists," said GRAMMY Foundation President and Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow." They come to Los Angeles during GRAMMY Week to experience the power and possibility of music firsthand - playing with their peers from across the country and with GRAMMY-nominated artists in several GRAMMY Week events - it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and many say the most positive and influential career opportunity ever."
Again this year, Gibson Guitar and Baldwin Piano have teamed up with the GRAMMY Foundation to sponsor the 2008 Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles. "Gibson Guitar and Baldwin Piano have a robust commitment to music education," said Henry Juszkiewicz, chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. "The Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles program offers students opportunities to perform with some of the world's greatest talents in the unparalleled setting of GRAMMY Week."
The International Association for Jazz Education provides outreach to the music education community to help ensure the program's success. The Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles selectees are eligible for more than $2 million in college scholarships made possible through the GRAMMY Foundation's college partners: Berklee College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and USC Thornton School of Music. In addition, every Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles program applicant and their high school will receive music product from MakeMusic Inc., including subscriptions to SmartMusic, the complete music practice system by MakeMusic Inc. Additionally, each selectee's school will receive a professional cymbal courtesy of the Zildjian Company.
The GRAMMY Foundation was established in 1989 to cultivate the understanding, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture - from the artistic and technical legends of the past to the still unimagined musical breakthroughs of future generations of music professionals. The Foundation accomplishes this mission through programs and activities that engage the music industry and cultural community as well as the general public. The Foundation works in partnership year-round with The Recording Academy to bring national attention to important issues such as the value and impact of music and arts education and the urgency of preserving our rich cultural heritage. For more information, please visit www.grammyintheschools.com.
Gibson Guitar is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins and banjos. Gibson's HD.6X-Pro Guitar System and the Gibson Robot Guitar represents the biggest advance in electric guitar design in more than 70 years. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Mich., and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.'s family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Valley Arts, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Slingerland, Maestro, Baldwin, Hamilton, Chickering and Wurlitzer. Visit Gibson Guitar at www.gibson.com or www.gibson.com/press.
The mission of the International Association for Jazz Education is to assure the continued worldwide growth and development of jazz and jazz education. As a part of that mission, the Association initiates programs that nurture and promote the understanding and appreciation of jazz and its heritage, provides leadership to educators regarding curricula and performance, assists teachers and practitioners with information and resources, and takes an active part in organizing clinics, festivals and symposia at local, regional, national and international levels. Presently, active memberships total upwards of 7,000 teachers, musicians, students, music industry representatives, and enthusiasts in 35 countries.
The 2008 Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles are listed by each student's name, hometown, school, and instrument or voice:
2008 Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Choir
McKenna Whisler - Pittsburgh, Pa. Pittsburgh H.S. for the Creative & Perf. Arts Soprano
Madelyn Deutch Studio City, Calif. - Los Angeles County H.S. for the Arts Soprano
Shenel Johns - Hartford, Conn. - Bulkeley H.S. Alto
Lauren Desberg - Los Angeles, Calif. - Los Angeles County H.S. for the Arts Alto
Richard Saunders - Simsbury, Conn. - Simsbury H.S. Tenor
Eric Jones - Centennial, Colo. - Cherry Creek H.S. Tenor
Cody Fry - Northfield, Ill. - New Trier Township H.S. Bass
Simon Barrad - Long Beach, Calif. - Long Beach Polytechnic H.S. Bass
2008 Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Combo
Grace Kelly - Brookline, Mass. - Brookline H.S. - Alto Sax
Bryan Carter - Sycamore, Ill. - Sycamore H.S. - Drums
Emmet Cohen - Montclair, N.J. - Montclair H.S. - Piano
Greg Chaplin - Hopedale, Mass. Milford H.S. - Bass
2008 Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Band
Hailey Niswanger West Linn, Ore. West Linn H.S. Alto Sax 1
Toby Forman - Lexington, Mass. Lexington H.S. Alto Sax 2
Adam Larson - Normal, Ill. - University H.S. Tenor Sax 1
Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Horseheads, N.Y. Horseheads H.S. - Tenor Sax 2
John Palowitch - Pleasanton, Calif. Amador Valley H.S. Bari Sax
Blake Martin - Vancouver, Wash. Evergreen H.S. Tpt. 1
Nick Frenay - Syracuse, N.Y. Manlius Pebble Hill School - Tpt. 2
Gabriel Medd - Coralville, Iowa - West H.S. Tpt. 3
Benny Benack - Pittsburgh, Pa. - Upper St. Clair H.S. Tpt. 4
Zachary Gillespie Glendale, Ariz. - Deer Valley H.S. Tpt. 5
Eric Miller - Huntington Station, N.Y. Walt Whitman H.S. Trb. 1
Javier Nero - Vancouver, Wash. Evergreen H.S. Trb. 2
Kale Scherler - Sunset, Texas Booker T. Washington HSPVA Trb. 3
Sean Casey - Richwood, Texas Brazoswood H.S. Bass Trb.
Armand Hirsch - New York, N.Y. - Trevor Day School Guitar
Jake Sherman - Boston, Mass. Boston Latin School Piano
Eric Lamm - Agoura, Calif. - Agoura H.S. - Bass
Corey Fonville - Virginia Beach, Va. - The Governors School for the Arts Drums
