Boston, MA (Top40 Charts/ Natixis Global Asset Management) Tens of thousands of music lovers hailing from far and wide are expected to jam
Boston city blocks this fall to enjoy jazz, Latin, blues and more at the 11th annual Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival on
September 23-25. Natixis Global Asset Management, one of the world's leading asset managers, is the presenting sponsor of Berklee's 2011 Summer in the City music series hosting more than 80 free outdoor concerts in neighborhoods throughout
Boston and concluding with the BeanTown Jazz Festival. Last year's festival drew over 70,000 music lovers.
"Our support of the Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival is symbolic of our new philanthropic model designed to transform corporate philanthropy from a periodic, transitional event to an active and engaged partnership," said John Hailer, President & Chief Executive Officer, Natixis Global Asset Management - U.S. & Asia. "The model focuses on deepening collaborative relationships and has already produced new ways to work together - for example, our support of the Summer in the City music program helps to preserve cultural experience through music."
The festival opens September 23 with jazz heavyweight collaboration James Farm featuring Joshua Redman and closes with the New Gary Burton Quartet on September 25, both ticketed events at the Berklee Performance Center (BPC). Tickets for the New Gary Burton Quartet go on sale July 22, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. at the BPC box office or at Ticketmaster.com. James Farm tickets are on sale now at worldmusic.org.
Boston's biggest block party on Saturday, September 24, from noon to 6:00 p.m. on Columbus Avenue starts at Massachusetts Avenue in the South End and features three stages with performances from over 15 artists, family activities at the Berklee Family Park, and vendor booths offering foods from all over the world. The Berklee Family Park will transform Carter Playground on Columbus Avenue into a hub of activity including inflatables, face painting, and an instrument petting zoo staffed by Berklee professionals.
Top acts on the outdoor stages include Oleta Adams, Rafael Zaldivar, Pablo Ablanedo, Louis Hayes, Bloco AfroBrazil, and others. Berklee students and faculty play a major role in the festival with performances from the acclaimed Berklee Global Jazz Institute Ensemble as well as Berklee teachers, students, and recent graduates: Jeff Ramsey, Darcel Wilson, Shea Rose, the Berklee P-Funk Ensemble, and professor Bill Banfield and the Jazz Urbane project. The full concert schedule is available at beantownjazz.org.
This year, the Saturday festival celebrates global music and nature, featuring musical styles and artists from around the globe in an outdoor setting. To respect our natural environment, all trash from the festival, collected in recyclable bins, will be composted, leaving no waste behind.
In a recent announcement, NGAM was also named as the presenting sponsor of the 2011 Newport Jazz Festival. Further expansion of NGAM's music partnership program is currently under way.
