Renowned Trumpeter/Composer Ambrose Akinmusire Named Artistic Director of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA

Posted on July 7, 2023July 8, 2024 by Kamil Walji

Institute and UCLA Welcome Incoming Class of 2025

Los Angeles, CA – Internationally acclaimed trumpeter and composer Ambrose Akinmusire has been named Artistic Director of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA. A 2007 graduate of the program, he will return to guide and encourage the next generation of jazz artists.

Six extraordinary young jazz musicians from around the world were selected for the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA, Class of 2025. Each will begin the intensive, full-scholarship program in September 2023 and attain a Master of Music in Jazz Performance degree from The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music – one of the nation’s top music schools – in spring 2025.

The Class of 2025 includes drummer Ebs Daramola of Assen, Netherlands and Lagos, Nigeria; bassist Destiny Diggs of Newark, NJ; alto saxophonist Alden Hellmuth of Hartford, CT; pianist Miles Lennox of Fort Lauderdale, FL; tenor saxophonist Sasha Ripley of Houston, TX; and Yakiv Tsvietinskyi of Dnipro, Ukraine. The musicians were selected through a rigorous application process culminating in an audition judged by legendary pianist Herbie Hancock; renowned musician, producer and philanthropist Herb Alpert; Ambrose Akinmusire and Walter Smith III, Institute of Jazz Performance classmates and renowned touring and recording artists.

Akinmusire noted, “Having been a student and later a judge, mentor and teacher in this program, I look forward to sharing my knowledge and continuing the legacy and impact of the Herbie Hancock Institute.”

Herbie Hancock added, “Ambrose is the perfect person to inspire the students of the Institute of Jazz Performance. I remember working with him when he was a student in the program, and watching him develop over the years has been really exciting. Now he will be able to cultivate a new wave of creative artists through his role in the program.”

In addition to being an Institute of Jazz Performance alumnus, Akinmusire won first place honors in the Institute’s 2007 International Trumpet Competition. A two-time GRAMMY nominee, he received a Doris Duke Impact Award and was named a Doris Duke Artist. In his role as Artistic Director, he will follow in the footsteps of previous Artistic Directors trumpeter Terence Blanchard and bassist Ron Carter, two celebrated musicians who taught Akinmusire during his time in the program.

Launched in 1995, the Institute of Jazz Performance accepts one ensemble of musicians for each class and provides them with unparalleled opportunities to study jazz and its defining element of improvisation with master musicians, composers and educators. All students receive full scholarships, along with stipends to cover their monthly living expenses. This enables them to be fully immersed in their education and development as artists.

Throughout each academic year, world-renowned jazz masters serve as Artists-in-Residence, teaching and performing with the students. Artists-in-Residence have included Kenny Barron, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jack DeJohnette, Nnenna Freelon, Roy Haynes, Jimmy Heath, Dave Holland, Wynton Marsalis, Jason Moran, Lewis Nash, Danilo Pérez, Dianne Reeves, John Scofield, Wayne Shorter, and Clark Terry, among many others. In addition, the students receive composition instruction from multi-GRAMMY Award winner Billy Childs and study improvisation with Jerry Bergonzi and Dick Oatts, two of the world’s top jazz improvisation experts.

The aspiring musicians study both individually and as a small group, receiving personal mentoring, ensemble coaching, and lectures on the jazz tradition. They are also encouraged to experiment in expanding jazz in new directions through their compositions and performances. A music business and technology component helps prepare the students for their careers as professional musicians.

Under the mentorship of their acclaimed instructors, the college students, collectively known as the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble at UCLA, present high-profile concerts and lead jazz education and community outreach programs in Los Angeles, across the United States and around the world. In recent years, students have performed at International Jazz Day events in Istanbul, Turkey; Osaka, Japan; Paris, France; Havana, Cuba; St. Petersburg, Russia; Sydney and Melbourne, Australia; and the White House. They also have participated in performance and education tours of Argentina, Chile, China, Egypt, India, Jordan, Morocco, Peru, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam with Herbie Hancock.

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance alumni – including Ambrose Akinmusire, Lionel Loueke, Gretchen Parlato, Walter Smith III, Dayna Stephens and Helen Sung, along with many others – have gone on to major careers as performing and recording artists, composers and educators.

Institute President Tom Carter said, “The Institute is pleased to welcome Ambrose Akinmusire in this new role. As a leader of his generation, he will be one of the artists that will be innovating this music for years to come. Under his direction, the incoming class of students will join our growing family of influential artists who are creative forces in the world of music, education and beyond.”

The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Inaugural Dean Eileen Strempel shared, “The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA attracts the best rising jazz talent to study with some of the world’s finest jazz artists. With Ambrose Akinmusire as Artistic Director of the program, the students at the Institute and UCLA will have access to an important voice in jazz. We are delighted to welcome him into our family, to continue our twelve-year partnership with the Institute and to welcome our sixth class of phenomenal artists.”

Ambrose Akinmusire

Internationally renowned recording artist and composer Ambrose Akinmusire is one of the top trumpeters and composers in jazz today and a true leader in creative music. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, the Institute of Jazz Performance and winner of the Institute’s International Trumpet Competition, he has proven himself one of the most vital and deft musicians of his generation. In recent years, Akinmusire has won DownBeat and Jazz Times Critics and Readers Polls and received Germany’s ECHO Award as Instrumentalist of the Year. His debut release, When the Heart Emerges Glistening, topped critics’ lists at The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, and earned him the Grand Prix from France’s l’Academie du Jazz. A former Blue Note recording artist, Akinmusire has performed at Carnegie Hall and other major venues, and at international jazz festivals including Barcelona, Copenhagen, Monterey, North Sea and Umbria. He is a Doris Duke Impact Awardee and a Doris Duke Artist and has served as Resident Artistic Director for SFJazz. Akinmusire has released six albums of his own and has appeared on dozens of others, earning him two GRAMMY nominations. Besides being a cutting-edge performer and prolific composer, Akinmusire is a dedicated educator who has presented jazz master classes around the globe. His latest recording is a solo trumpet album entitled Beauty is Enough.

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA – Class of 2025

Ebs Daramola, drums, was born in the Netherlands and grew up in Nigeria and Perth, Western Australia. He was introduced to a wide variety of music and began studying jazz in high school. Daramola was named Outstanding Performer at the Western Australian Schools Jazz Festival in 2014 and 2017. He attended the James Morrison Academy at the University of South Australia, where he studied with James Morrison, Mat Jodrell, Jeff Clayton and Carl Mackey. Daramola has performed across Australia with James Muller, James Morrison, Angela Davis, William Barton and as the leader of his own groups.

Destiny Diggs, bass, was born in Newark, New Jersey and began studying music at age 10. She participated in the Jazz House Kids program and played in the New Jersey Youth Symphony and the Youth Orchestra of Essex. She was the winner of the National YoungArts Merit Double Bass Award. Diggs was awarded a full scholarship to attend the Manhattan School of Music. She has studied with Ron Carter, Buster Williams and James Genus, among others. Diggs has performed with Winard Harper, Jon Faddis and Willerm Delisfort. In 2023, she was named a Sister in Jazz by the Jazz Education Network.

Alden Hellmuth, alto saxophone, was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut. She studied saxophone with Kris Davis at the Greater Hartford Academy for the Arts and was awarded a full scholarship to attend the Hartt School’s Jackie McLean Institute, where she studied with Abraham Burton. Hellmuth was selected to participate in Focusyear in Basel, Switzerland, where she studied with Miguel Zenón, Larry Grenadier and Lionel Loueke. She was a semifinalist for the New Music USA Next Jazz Legacy program and received the Dorothy Goodwin Scholarship for her work honoring women. Hellmuth has toured with Jeremy Pelt and Louis Hayes, and arranged music for Moses Sumney and Brandee Younger.

Miles Lennox, piano, was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He attended the Dillard Center for Arts, where he studied with Stephen Scott. Lennox has participated in the GRAMMY Camp, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Summer Jazz Camp, the Florida All-State Jazz Band and the YoungArts program. He received his bachelor’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music. Lennox has studied with Stefon Harris, Marc Cary, Phil Markowitz and Jimmy Petullo, and has performed with jazz greats including Wynton Marsalis, Sean Jones, Jon Faddis and Bobby Watson.

Sasha Ripley, tenor saxophone, was born and raised in Houston and began studying saxophone at age 13. He attended the Kinder High School for Visual and Performing Arts, where he graduated with a Distinguished Level of Achievement diploma. Ripley attended the Skidmore Jazz Camp and participated in the Herbie Hancock Institute’s Peer-to-Peer tours, performing with Sean Jones and Antonio Hart. He was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music, where he participated in the Global Jazz Institute and studied with Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci, Tia Fuller, Kurt Elling and Gary Bartz. Ripley has performed extensively across the country with a variety of artists.

Yakiv Tsvietinskyi, trumpet, was born and raised in Dnipro, Ukraine and began his music studies on piano at age 6. He received his undergraduate degree from the M. Glinka Academy of Music. While in college, he participated in the Making Music Across Borders program. Tsvietinskyi received a Fulbright grant for education, which enabled him to attend Western Michigan University and attain a master’s degree. He also participated in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center, where he had the opportunity to study with Jason Moran. A recipient of two DownBeat Student Music Awards, Tsvietinskyi was accepted into the Focusyear program in Basel, Switzerland. He has taught music in Dnipro, Kyiv and Lviv.

ABOUT THE HERBIE HANCOCK INSTITUTE OF JAZZ

The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is a nonprofit education organization with a mission to offer the world’s most promising young musicians college level training by internationally acclaimed jazz masters and to present public school music education programs for young people around the world. The Institute preserves, perpetuates and expands jazz as a global art form, and utilizes jazz as a means to unite people of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities. All of the Institute’s programs are provided free of charge to students, schools and communities worldwide. The Institute’s programs use jazz as the medium to encourage imaginative thinking, creativity, a positive self-image, and respect for one’s own and others’ cultural heritage. Founded in 1986 as the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, the organization began operating as the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz in 2019 in recognition of Mr. Hancock’s commitment to the Institute since its establishment, his expert guidance as Institute Chairman, and his immense contributions to and impact on music, education and humanity.

ABOUT THE HERB ALPERT SCHOOL OF MUSIC AT UCLA

In January 2016, the University of California Board of Regents formally established the Herb Alpert School of Music as UCLA’s 12th professional school and the first music school in the University of California system. Created in 2007 with a $30 million gift from the Herb Alpert Foundation, the school sets a new standard for 21st century music schools by balancing performance and scholarship, and by embracing classical western music, world music and jazz, and popular contemporary music. With more than 580 undergraduate and graduate students, the school offers 15 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs through three highly rated academic departments, each with internationally acclaimed faculty. The Department of Music competes for students with the nation’s top music schools. It provides intensive individual studio instruction, thorough theoretical training and full participation in large and small ensembles, and offers many degree tracks including the M.M. degree in conjunction with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz. The Department of Ethnomusicology is the only one of its kind in the U.S. and the most celebrated program in the world for the study of diverse musical cultures. The Department of Musicology teaches and conducts research on jazz, heavy metal, techno, musical theater, and other forms of popular music as well as European classical music. The National Research Council recently recognized UCLA Musicology as the top ranked academic music doctoral program in the U.S.

Institute’s 2023 International Piano Competition (Oct. 14-15, NYC) in Association with the New Perelman Performing Arts Center

Posted on June 15, 2023July 13, 2023 by Kamil Walji

All-Star Gala Concert to Honor Renowned Jazz Vocalist Dianne Reeves and Visionary Architect and Jazz Aficionado Frank Gehry

Washington, D.C — Outstanding young jazz pianists from around the world will compete in the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition on October 14-15 in New York City, presented in association with the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC). The 2023 Competition will be a premier feature of the inaugural season of PAC NYC, located on the historic World Trade Center campus, adjacent to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. The 2023 Competition weekend will include a highly anticipated Semifinals round on October 14 at 1:00 p.m., followed by the Competition Finals and a spectacular All-Star Gala Concert on the evening of October 15. The All-Star Gala Concert will honor Dianne Reeves and Frank Gehry.

Open to musicians age 30 and under from across the globe, this year’s Competition will shine a spotlight on the piano. At stake is more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes, including a $50,000 first place award, $25,000 second place, and $10,000 third place.

The semifinalists will perform on Saturday afternoon before an all-star judging panel of internationally acclaimed jazz pianists including Bill Charlap, Herbie Hancock, Hiromi and Danilo Pérez, with more to be announced. Each semifinalist will perform for 15 minutes accompanied by a stellar rhythm section featuring Carl Allen on drums and Rodney Whitaker on bass. The Semifinals will be free and open to the public; details on ticket distribution will be announced at a later date.

From this group, the judges will select three finalists to perform in the Competition Finals at the Perelman PAC on Sunday evening. The festivities will culminate with an All-Star Gala Concert featuring performances by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terri Lyne Carrington, Dianne Reeves, Somi, Joe Lovano, John Beasley, Romero Lubambo, Ben Williams and many others.

The Institute will present its Maria Fisher Founder’s Award to multi-GRAMMY Award-winning jazz vocalist and educator Dianne Reeves. The Institute’s Herbie Hancock Humanitarian Award will be given to globally-acclaimed architect Frank Gehry for his steadfast commitment to arts education, especially jazz and classical music training for young people. Past honorees have included Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Bill Clinton, Quincy Jones, B.B. King, Dee Dee Bridgewater, George Benson and Terence Blanchard.

The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition plays a pivotal role in identifying, empowering and promoting the next generation of jazz musicians, educators and influencers. The Institute’s Competition has launched the careers of major jazz artists including saxophonist Joshua Redman and Melissa Aldana; vocalists Cécile McLorin Salvant, Jane Monheit, Jazzmeia Horn and Gretchen Parlato; pianist Kris Bowers; bassist Ben Williams; and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. These artists and dozens more from past Competitions have forged successful careers as performing and recording artists, as well as music educators helping to perpetuate America’s legacy of jazz.

The application for the 2023 Piano Competition can be found online at hancockinstitute.org/competition. All materials must be received no later than Monday, July 31, 2023.

Proceeds from the event will support the Herbie Hancock Institute’s free, year-round jazz education programs, which target underserved public schools across the United States and around the world.

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition

Formerly the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Competition, the Hancock Institute Competition is recognized as the world’s most prestigious jazz competition and for discovering the next generation of jazz masters. Each year, major scholarships and prizes are awarded to the talented young musicians participating in the Competition. The scholarships help pay tuition for college-level jazz education studies and provide funds for private, specialized instruction.

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz

The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is a nonprofit education organization offering the world’s most promising young musicians college level training by internationally acclaimed jazz masters and presenting public school music education programs for young people around the world. The Institute preserves, perpetuates and expands jazz as a global art form, and utilizes jazz as a means to unite people of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities. All of the Institute’s education programs are provided free of charge.

Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC)

Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) at the World Trade Center was conceived as the cultural keystone in the 2003 plan for the rebuilt 16-acre World Trade Center site. As a global hub for creativity, the PAC will create connections between artists and audiences from across New York City and around the world through music, theater, dance, opera, film, and other events and experiences, demonstrating the power of the arts to inspire and unite. Designed by Joshua Ramus and his firm REX, in collaboration with theater consultant Charcoalblue and Executive Architect Davis Brody Bond, the building’s 129,000-square-foot “mystery box” houses three immensely flexible theaters that can be combined and reconfigured to accommodate artistic creativity, innovation, and invention and engage audiences with surprising new experiences at every visit.

International Jazz Day 2023 Worldwide Celebration Concludes with Extraordinary All-Star Global Concert

Posted on June 15, 2023June 15, 2023 by Kamil Walji

Thousands of Performances and Events Take Place in 195 Countries on All Continents

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton Joins Herbie Hancock for Historic Conversation about Jazz

Washington, DC, April 30 — The 12th annual International Jazz Day came to a thrilling close with a spectacular All-Star Global Concert featuring performances from Beijing, Beirut, Johannesburg, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Vienna and beyond. The All-Star Global Concert showcased celebrated jazz artists including Cyrille Aimée (France), Ambrose Akinmusire (USA), Thana Alexa (Croatia), John Beasley (USA), Dee Dee Bridgewater (USA), Musekiwa Chingodza (Zimbabwe), Emmet Cohen (USA), Kurt Elling (USA), Oran Etkin (Israel), Tom Gansch (Austria), Christian McBride (USA), Sérgio Mendes (Brazil), Marcus Miller (USA), Thandi Ntuli (South Africa), Dianne Reeves (USA), Antonio Sánchez (Mexico), Somi (Rwanda) and many others.

To mark International Jazz Day 2023, former U.S. President Bill Clinton and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock met for an historic conversation about the impact of jazz on their lives and humanity. The two friends reminisced about how they fell in love with jazz and which musicians have most captivated them over the years. They shared stories of how jazz has opened doors across the globe and how their musical experiences helped deepen their own personal and professional growth. Clinton and Hancock connected on the power that jazz can have in shaping our world for the better.

The All-Star Global Concert opened with acclaimed vocalist Somi and her remarkably unique rendition of “House of the Rising Sun” with John Beasley and Ben Williams. The Blue Note China Jazz Orchestra gave a rousing take on the Gershwin standard, “Fascinating Rhythm.” From Casablanca, Morocco, JazzWomenAfrica performed its composition “Bull Door,” sharing musical traditions of Senegal, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Togo and Ghana. Vocalist Yumi Park and Brazilian pianist Marcos Ariel delivered an exhilarating presentation of “Mas Que Nada” from Rio de Janeiro. Oran Etkin and Mbira player Musekiwa Chingodza provided a heartwarming performance from the streets of rural Zimbabwe. Herbie Hancock enlisted Ambrose Akinmusire and Walter Smith, III to perform Wayne Shorter’s iconic composition, “Footprints.” Dianne Reeves brought the evening to a gorgeous close with her stunning rendition of Horace Silver’s “Peace.”

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay noted, “Today, let us pay tribute to the genius of the creators and musicians who have been defining and redefining jazz for over a century, from Ella Fitzgerald to Manu Dibango. But let us also commit to supporting jazz players across the globe – so that the universal message of peace and humanity conveyed by jazz music resonates worldwide.”

UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock said, “Respect for human dignity is firmly integrated into the DNA of jazz. International Jazz Day honors this important value by embracing the peace and freedom that jazz so eloquently proclaims. And that is the spirit of jazz – finding delight in diversity and creating harmony out of our differences.”

The International Jazz Day 2023 celebration included thousands of jazz performances, jam sessions, master classes, education and community outreach initiatives, and other special events in 195 countries and all 50 U.S. states. Additionally, UNESCO and the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz presented educational programs in five languages.

Major support for International Jazz Day 2023 is provided by the Doris Duke Foundation, with additional, generous support from the Ford Foundation. United Airlines, the airline partner of International Jazz Day, provided air transportation and additional support for artists and educators.

Each year on April 30, International Jazz Day brings together countries and communities on all continents to highlight the power of jazz as a force for freedom and creativity, promote intercultural dialogue through respect and understanding, and unite people throughout the world. International Jazz Day was adopted by the UNESCO Member Nations on the initiative of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, who co-chairs the annual celebration with UNESCO Director-GeneralAudrey Azoulay. Presented in partnership with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, the day is recognized on the official calendars of UNESCO and the United Nations.

Institute’s Peer-to-Peer Sextet presents Jazz Education Tour to Virginia Public Schools, May 22-26

Posted on May 15, 2023June 15, 2023 by Kamil Walji

Featuring Internationally Renowned Recording Artists SEAN JONES and LISA HENRY

Weeklong series of events includes 2 performances open to the public at Blues Alley in Washington, DC on May 27

Washington, DC – With lead funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and United Airlines, the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz will bring its Peer-to-Peer jazz education program to Virginia public schools May 22-26, 2023. Combining performance with educational information, these “informances” will be presented by the Institute’s National Peer-to-Peer Jazz Sextet, comprising six of the country’s most gifted high school music students. They will be featured alongside internationally acclaimed trumpet recording artist Sean Jones, Kansas City jazz and blues vocalist and a former winner of the Institute’s International Jazz Vocals Competition Lisa Henry, and renowned jazz educator Dr. JB Dyas. Each school visit will include an assembly program featuring a musical performance for all students, followed by workshops for each school’s jazz band and choir with the visiting student performers playing alongside and sharing ideas with their Virginia counterparts.

“We’ve found that sometimes young people can learn about certain things better from kids their same age, and one of them is jazz,” said jazz great Herbie Hancock, Institute Chairman, NEA Jazz Master, and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “And when you hear how accomplished these musicians are at such a young age, you know their peers are going to listen.”

Besides playing jazz at a level that belies their years, the students will talk with their Virginia peers about what jazz is, why it’s important to America, and how a jazz ensemble represents a perfect democracy. They also will discuss the important American values that jazz represents: teamwork, unity with ethnic diversity, the correlation of hard work and goal accomplishment, perseverance, and the importance of finding a passion early in life, being persistent, and believing in yourself. When young people hear this important message from kids their same age, they are often more likely to listen.

The members of the all-star sextet selected nationwide to participate in the Virginia tour include saxophonist Leo Milano (18) from Chicago; trombonist Evan Dexter (17) from Los Angeles; guitarist Leo Sandoval (17) from Houston; bassist Camara Dupree (17) from New Orleans; and pianist Jose Andre Montano (17) and drummer Kevin Kearney (17) from Washington, DC. “I had the wonderful opportunity of performing with Mr. Jones along with US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona last year at the US Department of Education,” said Montano, who also was selected to this year’s Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra with which he’ll tour Europe this summer with Jones. “I can’t wait to play with and learn from him again.”

Immediately following the informances, Jones, Henry, and Dyas will conduct jazz workshops for each host school’s jazz band and choir. The visiting students will play side-by-side with their Virginia counterparts, providing tutelage peer to peer. In so doing, they will teach and learn from one another not unlike what Herbie Hancock did with Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, and so many other eminent jazz artists over half a century. They’ll also learn about each other’s cities and cultures.

“I’m really looking forward to spending a week in Virginia,” added Dupree. “I can talk about the historic city of New Orleans, and the Virginia kids can tell me all about the historic cities of Williamsburg, Richmond, and Charlottesville.”

The weeklong tour will include two shows open to the public on May 27 at the iconic Washington, DC jazz club, Blues Alley (1073 Wisconsin Ave NW), where DC residents and visitors are invited to enjoy an evening of music with Jones and Henry alongside jazz’s future “young lions.” The octet will perform standards, jazz classics and contemporary jazz, including tunes from Jones’ and Henry’s latest recordings. Shows begin at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm. For further information, call 202-337-4141 or visit https://www.bluesalley.com.

Virginia Peer-to-Peer Jazz Informance, Concert, and Workshop Schedule

Date	Time	Event	Location
Mon, May 22	9:10 am	MEDIA DAY	Jamestown High School, 3751 John Tyler Hwy, Williamsburg, VA 23185
	9:10 am	Assembly Program/Concert	Jamestown High School, 3751 John Tyler Hwy, Williamsburg, VA 23185
	11:00 am	Jazz Band and Vocal Workshops	Jamestown High School, 3751 John Tyler Hwy, Williamsburg, VA 23185

Tue, May 23	9:10 am	Assembly Program/Concert	Warhill High School, 4615 Opportunity Way, Williamsburg, VA 23188
	11:00 am	Jazz Band and Vocal Workshops	Warhill High School, 4615 Opportunity Way, Williamsburg, VA 23188

Wed, May 24	10:45 am	Assembly Program/Concert	Thomas Jefferson High School, 4100 W Grace St, Richmond, VA 23230
	12:45 pm	Jazz Band and Vocal Workshops	Thomas Jefferson High School, 4100 W Grace St, Richmond, VA 23230

Thu, May 25	10:45 am	MEDIA DAY	Huguenot High School, 7945 Forest Hill Ave, Richmond, VA 23225
	10:45 am	Assembly Program/Concert	Huguenot High School, 7945 Forest Hill Ave, Richmond, VA 23225
	12:45 pm	Jazz Band and Vocal Workshops	Huguenot High School, 7945 Forest Hill Ave, Richmond, VA 23225

Fri, May 26	9:30 am	MEDIA DAY	Charlottesville High School, 1400 Melbourne Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22901
	9:30 am	Assembly Program/Concert	Charlottesville High School, 1400 Melbourne Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22901
	11:00 am	Jazz Band and Vocal Workshops	Charlottesville High School, 1400 Melbourne Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22901

Sat, May 27	7:00 pm	Concert Open to the Public	Blues Alley Jazz Club, 1073 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
	9:00 pm	Concert Open to the Public	Blues Alley Jazz Club, 1073 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007

For more information, full-length bios and photos, or to schedule an interview with the artists and/or students, please contact: JB Dyas at jbdyas@hancockinstitute.org or 323-270-3904.

Download the press release here.

Institute Kicks Off Arkansas Peer-to-Peer Jazz Education Tour, May 15-19

Posted on May 15, 2023June 15, 2023 by Kamil Walji

Featuring Internationally Renowned Recording Artists DON BRADEN and LISA HENRY

Weeklong series of events includes performance open to the public at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville on May 18

Washington, DC – With lead funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and United Airlines, the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz will bring its Peer-to-Peer jazz education program to Arkansas public schools May 15-19, 2023. Combining performance with educational information, these “informances” will be presented by the Institute’s National Peer-to-Peer Jazz Quintet, comprising five of the country’s most gifted high school music students. They will be featured alongside internationally acclaimed saxophone recording artist Don Braden, Kansas City jazz and blues vocalist and a former winner of the Institute’s International Jazz Vocals Competition Lisa Henry, and renowned jazz educator Dr. JB Dyas. Each school visit will include an assembly program featuring a musical performance for all students, followed by workshops for each school’s jazz band and choir with the visiting student performers playing alongside and sharing ideas with their Arkansas counterparts.

Besides playing jazz at a level that belies their years, the students will talk with their Arkansas peers about what jazz is, why it’s important to America, and how a jazz ensemble represents a perfect democracy. They also will discuss the important American values that jazz represents: teamwork, unity with ethnic diversity, the correlation of hard work and goal accomplishment, perseverance, and the importance of finding a passion early in life, being persistent, and believing in yourself. When young people hear this important message from kids their same age, they are often more likely to listen.

The members of the all-star quintet selected nationwide to participate in the Arkansas tour include trumpeter Giovanni Martinez (18) from Jacksonville, FL; trombonist Andre Perlman (17) from Miami; pianist William Schwartzman (17) from Los Angeles; bassist Laura-Simone Martin (17) from Lawrence, NJ; and drummer Julian Frazier (16) from Baltimore. “We’ve been meeting with Dr. Dyas online via Zoom since the beginning of the year, and we’re so happy that we are now finally able to perform with each other in person,” said Martin, who also was recently selected as the bassist for this year’s edition of Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra with whom she’ll tour Europe this summer. “It’s been both a joy and a challenge to prepare Mr. Braden’s music and we’re so looking forward to playing with and learning from him.”

Immediately following the informances, Braden, Henry, and Dyas will conduct jazz workshops for each host school’s jazz band and choir. The visiting students will play side-by-side with their Arkansas counterparts, providing tutelage peer to peer. In so doing, they will teach and learn from one another not unlike what Herbie Hancock did with Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, and so many other eminent jazz artists over half a century. They’ll also learn about each other’s cities and cultures.

“I’m really looking forward to spending a week in such a different part of the country,” added Schwartzman, who also was recently selected to the Carnegie Hall National Youth Jazz Orchestra. “I suspect that the kids in Arkansas and I have way more in common than differences. And whatever differences we may have, as jazz musicians we celebrate them.”

The weeklong tour will include a concert open to the public on May 18, 7:00 pm, at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville (495 W Dickson St), where Fayetteville residents and visitors are invited to enjoy an evening of music with Braden and Henry alongside jazz’s future “young lions.” The septet will perform standards, jazz classics and contemporary jazz, including Braden’s jazz arrangements of Earth, Wind, & Fire and Stevie Wonder songs from his latest album, Earth, Wind, and Wonder. For further information, call 479-443-5600 or visit www.waltonartscenter.org.

Arkansas Peer-to-Peer Jazz Informance, Concert, and Workshop Schedule

Date	Time	Event	Location
Mon, May 15	10:30 am	Assembly Program/Concert	Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High School, 2501 John Barrow Rd, Little Rock, AR 72204
	12:30 pm	Jazz Band and Vocal Workshops	Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High School, 2501 John Barrow Rd, Little Rock, AR 72204

Tue, May 16	10:30 am	MEDIA DAY	Little Rock Southwest High School, 9715 Mabelvale Pike, Mabelvale, AR 72103
	10:30 am	Assembly Program/Concert	Little Rock Southwest High School, 9715 Mabelvale Pike, Mabelvale, AR 72103
	12:30 pm	Jazz Band and Vocal Workshops	Little Rock Southwest High School, 9715 Mabelvale Pike, Mabelvale, AR 72103

Wed, May 17	10:30 am	MEDIA DAY	Fayetteville High School, 994 M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Fayetteville, AR 72701
	10:30 am	Assembly Program/Concert	Fayetteville High School, 994 M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Fayetteville, AR 72701
	12:30 pm	Jazz Band and Vocal Workshops	Fayetteville High School, 994 M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Fayetteville, AR 72701

Thu, May 18	10:00 am	MEDIA DAY	Bentonville High School Arend Arts Center, 1901 SE J St, Bentonville, AR 72712
	10:00 am	Assembly Program/Concert	Bentonville High School Arend Arts Center, 1901 SE J St, Bentonville, AR 72712
	11:30 am	Jazz Band and Vocal Workshops	Bentonville High School Arend Arts Center, 1901 SE J St, Bentonville, AR 72712
	7:00 pm	Concert Open to the Public	Walton Arts Center, 495 W Dickson St, Fayetteville, AR 72701

Fri, May 19	10:00 am	Assembly Program/Concert	Bentonville West High School, 1351 Gamble Rd, Centerton, AR 72719
	11:30 am	Jazz Band and Vocal Workshops	Bentonville West High School, 1351 Gamble Rd, Centerton, AR 72719

For more information, full-length bios and photos, or to schedule an interview with the artists and/or students, please contact: JB Dyas at jbdyas@hancockinstitute.org or 323-270-3904.

Download the press release here.

International Jazz Day 2023, April 30th: A Jazz Journey around the World

Posted on April 24, 2023June 15, 2023 by Kamil Walji

Herbie Hancock to host All-Star Global Concert with UNESCO featuring performances in 13 global cities by Dianne Reeves, Marcus Miller, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Somi, Sérgio Mendes, Cyrille Aimée, Antonio Sánchez, John Beasley and many more

Paris and New York––UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock today announced the program for the 2023 celebration of International Jazz Day, with participation from more than 190 countries. The flagship Jazz Day event, a spectacular All-Star Global Concert, will feature an extraordinary selection of jazz performances from Austria to Zimbabwe, highlighting the power of jazz in bridging differences and promoting unity and peace through intercultural dialogue and collaboration.

Herbie Hancock will take viewers on an international tour of sights and sounds showcasing jazz in all its diversity. The concert will feature performances from Beijing, China; Beirut, Lebanon; Casablanca, Morocco; Johannesburg, South Africa; Marondera, Zimbabwe; Paris, France; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Vienna, Austria; and Fairbanks, Honolulu, New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC, USA.

The live-streamed concert event will feature performances by some of the world’s most accomplished jazz artists, including Cyrille Aimée (France), Ambrose Akinmusire (USA), Thana Alexa (Croatia), John Beasley (USA), Dee Dee Bridgewater (USA), Bill Charlap (USA), Emmet Cohen (USA), Tom Gansch (Austria), Christian McBride (USA), Sérgio Mendes (Brazil), Marcus Miller (USA), Thandi Ntuli (South Africa), Dianne Reeves (USA), Antonio Sánchez (Mexico), Walter Smith III (USA), Somi (Rwanda) and Mike Stern (USA), among others. Renowned Mbira player Musekiwa Chingodza (Zimbabwe) will duet with Oran Etkin (Israel) on baritone clarinet; the Blue Note China Jazz Orchestra joins the Global Concert from Beijing; and JazzWomenAfrica celebrate from Casablanca. More information on the 2023 cast is available on jazzday.com.

The All-Star Global Concert will be webcast worldwide on April 30 at 4 pm EDT/1 pm PDT/10 pm CET on jazzday.com, unesco.org, the International Jazz Day YouTube and Facebook channels, and other outlets.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, recalling the significant role played by jazz in modern history, stated, “On this International Jazz Day, musicians around the world are once again answering, in great numbers, the resounding call for peace through music. Born out of struggles for justice, jazz inspires us to build a future that reflects its spirit – united in the celebration of diversity. Join us on this ‘Jazz Journey around the World’ and witness the power of music.”

Looking back on twelve years of International Jazz Day, Herbie Hancock remarked, “As the world’s largest, most inclusive celebration of jazz music, International Jazz Day unites people across the globe. Jazz has always been about expanding boundaries – inspiring musicians toward the future and its infinite possibilities. This year, we are thrilled that the All-Star Global Concert will reflect this expansive identity in a new way, by sharing with our audience a rich palette of sounds on more than a dozen stages in every corner of the planet.”

To kick off the International Jazz Day weekend, PBS will air a special on Friday evening, April 28 at 10 pm EDT (check your local listings). “International Jazz Day from the United Nations” will feature highlights of the 2022 All-Star Global Concert with performances by Herbie Hancock, David Sanborn, Shemekia Copeland, Gregory Porter, Lizz Wright, José James, Hiromi, Marcus Miller, Ravi Coltrane, Terri Lyne Carrington, Zakir Hussain, Brian Blade, Linda May Han Oh, Joey Alexander and more.

Masterclasses, concerts, educational programs and other events worldwide
In the lead-up to the 2023 All-Star Global Concert, a series of free, online education programs will be presented via jazzday.com, unesco.org, the International Jazz Day YouTube and Facebook pages.

An array of acclaimed artist-educators will present a multilingual selection of offerings that will emphasize the richness—and relevance—of jazz to learners at all levels. Programming will be available in Arabic, English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish, with topics including music making for kids, improvisation, and the intersection of jazz harmony and diverse international musical traditions. A complete listing and schedule of education programs will be available at jazzday.com/education.

The worldwide program for International Jazz Day 2023 also includes an extraordinary range of programming in more than 190 countries, with concerts and performance-based initiatives complemented by wide-ranging social outreach and educational activities. In Brazil, the Música na Árvore Solar Festival will pay homage to Louis Armstrong and feature sustainability in its lineup, powering its stage performances with mobile solar panels. The Croatian Radio Television Jazz Orchestra will be toasting its 75^th anniversary on Jazz Day with a concert and live broadcast on Croatian national television. In New Zealand, the Whanganui Collegiate School presents three days of events including a jam session, a gala concert and an open forum with the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, exploring jazz music in education. The Tottori Jazz Festival in Japan hosts a five-day series of concerts in addition to an art exhibit, jam sessions and workshops. The Botswana Society for Jazz Education kicks off a week of music workshops, instrumental clinics, masterclasses and nightly jam sessions, culminating with a grand concert featuring local and international musicians. UNESCO Creative Cities will be hosting a variety of activities around the world, leveraging music as a powerful accelerator for culture-driven sustainable urban development.

Jazz festivals around the world will also be commemorating International Jazz Day through special events. Participating festivals include the Adelaide Jazz Festival (Australia), Baku Jazz Festival (Azerbaijan), Festival Jazz à Ouaga (Burkina Faso), Festival Internacional de Blues y Jazz de Bucuramanga (Colombia), Mladí Ladí Jazz (Czechia), La Esquina Jazz Festival (Guatemala), Jazzfest Budapest (Hungary), Rossini Jazz Festival (Italy), Azalea JazzFEST (Japan), Bishkek International Jazz Festival (Kyrgyzstan), MAMA JAZ (Mauritius), Neuma International Jazz Festival (Mexico), Port Moresby Jazz & Blues Festival (Papua New Guinea), JAZZtrzębie Festiwal (Poland), Scottsdale Jazz Festival and Overtown Jazz Festival (USA) and many more.

To learn about the hundreds of other events planned in all 50 U.S. states and 190+ countries across the world, visit jazzday.com/events.

Major support for International Jazz Day is provided by the Doris Duke Foundation, with additional, generous support from the Ford Foundation. Air transportation and additional support for artists and educators is provided by United Airlines, the airline partner of International Jazz Day.

Proclaimed at UNESCO in 2011 at the initiative of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, and recognized by the United Nations General Assembly, International Jazz Day brings together countries and communities worldwide every year on April 30. The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is UNESCO’s partner in the organization and promotion of International Jazz Day.

Download the press release

Learn more about International Jazz Day

Learn more about UNESCO

Media: contact Alisse Kingsley

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition To Take Place October 14-15

Posted on April 12, 2023June 15, 2023 by Kamil Walji

Applications due July 31, 2023

The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition will be presented on October 14-15. Open to musicians age 30 and under from across the globe, this year’s competition will shine a spotlight on the piano. At stake is more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes, including a $50,000 first place award, $25,000 second place, and $10,000 third place.

The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition has played a pivotal role in identifying, empowering and promoting the next generation of jazz musicians, educators and influencers. The Institute’s Competition has launched the careers of major jazz artists including saxophonist Joshua Redman; vocalists Cécile McLorin Salvant, Jane Monheit and Jazzmeia Horn; pianist Kris Bowers; bassist Ben Williams; and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. These artists and dozens more from past Competitions have forged successful careers as performing and recording artists, as well as music educators helping to perpetuate America’s legacy of jazz.

The application for the 2023 Piano Competition can be found here. All materials must be received no later than Monday, July 31, 2023. The Competition location will be announced in the coming weeks. Please submit any questions to Leonard Brown at lebrown@hancockinstitute.org or by phone at +1 (202) 364-7272.

Prizes and scholarships will be awarded as follows:

First place – $50,000
Second place – $25,000
Third place – $10,000

Fifty percent of each prize will be paid directly to the winner. The remaining funds will be applied toward the winner’s future musical education.

—

Press Inquiries: Alisse Kingsley
akingsley@hancockinstitute.org
323.467.8508

Download Application

You can submit payment for your application via PayPal or Credit Card at the link below.

Submit Payment

Watch the 2023 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert here on April 1st at 7:30pm ET

Posted on March 29, 2023June 15, 2023 by Kamil Walji

In honor of the 2023 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Masters—Regina Carter, Kenny Garrett, Louis Hayes, and Sue Mingus—the NEA presents the 2023 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and available through a live webcast below.

Hosted by Mark Ruffin of SiriusXM’s Real Jazz channel (67), this one-night-only concert will honor the 2023 NEA Jazz Masters, recipients of the nation’s highest honor in jazz. The concert will feature performances by honorees Regina Carter, Kenny Garrett, and Louis Hayes. Additional performers include Rudy Bird, Michael Bowie, Keith Brown, Ronald Bruner, Abraham Burton, Adam Cruz, Dezron Douglas, Kal Ferretti, Alvester Garnett, Sarah Hanahan, David Hazeltine, Corcoran Holt, Steve Nelson, Shawn Purcell, Melvis Santa, Helen Sung, Camille Thurman, and The String Queens—Dawn Michelle Johnson, Kendall Isadore, and Elise Sharp. (Performers subject to change.)

The concert will also include video tributes to the honorees, illuminating their lives and careers, as well as remarks by NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD; President of the Kennedy Center Deborah F. Rutter; honorees Regina Carter, Kenny Garrett, and Louis Hayes; and Roberto and Emma Ungaro, representing honoree Sue Mingus, who passed away in September 2022.

Watch the April 4th Informance with trumpeter Terell Stafford hosted by the U.S. Dept. of Education

Posted on March 27, 2023March 26, 2024 by Kamil Walji

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 • 1:00 PM ET

• Click here for details about the 2024 ED informance on April 10, 2024.

Washington, DC – The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education will present a peer-to-peer jazz informance on April 4, featuring the Institute’s Peer-to-Peer Jazz Quintet. Hosted by the U.S. Department of Education, the “informance” – a combination of performance and educational information – will be presented by a group comprising gifted music students from Baltimore, New York, and Washington, DC public high schools along with internationally acclaimed jazz trumpet recording artist Terell Stafford and renowned jazz educator Dr. JB Dyas.

The informance will be held at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) headquarters building in Washington, D.C., beginning at 1 pm ET, and livestreamed at the U.S. Department of Education’s media link here, to hundreds of school districts in the United States and around the world. The focus will be on raising the bar of music education in our public schools nationwide. Raising the bar in all areas of public school education, arts and academics alike, is the primary mission of U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and the Department.

“We’ve found that young people often learn about certain things better from kids their same age, and one of those is jazz. And when you hear how accomplished these musicians are at such a young age, you know their peers are going to listen.”
Institute Chairman Herbie Hancock

Besides playing jazz at a level that belies their years, the students will talk to their like-age audience across the country and around the world not only about jazz – America’s indigenous musical art form – and its significance in American history and culture, but also about the importance of finding a passion for something early in life, working hard at it, being persistent, and believing in yourself. When young people hear this important message from kids their same age, they are often more likely to listen.

“We’ve found that young people often learn about certain things better from kids their same age, and one of those is jazz,” said Herbie Hancock, Chairman of the Institute, NEA Jazz Master, and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “And when you hear how accomplished these musicians are at such a young age, you know their peers are going to listen.”

The members of the Quintet include alto saxophonist Quinn Rehkemper and drummer Julian Frazier from the Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA); tenor saxophonist Seif Gharsellaoui from the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York, and pianist Jose Andre Montano from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC. Rounding out the quintet will be BSA’s director of jazz studies, Ed Hrybyk on bass.

“What an incredible learning experience it is to perform with Mr. Stafford,” said Rehkemper, who performed at last year’s ED jazz informance with jazz great Sean Jones. “Preparing the music of these two jazz masters, not to mention the prestigious opportunity to perform once again at the US Department of Education to highlight the multifaceted value of music education in our public schools, is incredibly educational and gratifying.”

Secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona (left) will join internationally acclaimed trumpeter Terell Stafford for a dynamic jazz informance at the U.S. Department of Education alongside the Institute’s star Peer-to-Peer Jazz Quintet.

In addition to learning how to read music and play an instrument, studying jazz also teaches students how music works in order to improvise and express their own unique thoughts and feelings musically. The study of jazz also teaches the life skills and deeply held American values that jazz represents: teamwork, unity with ethnic diversity, the correlation of hard work and goal accomplishment, persistence & perseverance, democracy, and the vital importance of really listening to one another.

“Music is a big part of my family’s life,” Secretary Cardona said in regards to last year’s informance, “There’s a level of listening, interdependence and collaboration that goes on in jazz that we can all learn from.”

While the informance in the auditorium at the US Department of Education can only accommodate a limited, invited audience of selected students, teachers, principals, and ED officials, it will be streamed nationally and internationally so all may partake.

“Jazz mirrors life in improvisation and in connecting with people around you,” added the Secretary. “Music and the arts give us a window into different cultures – and cultures are an expression of many kinds of music. It’s been said that music is the art that goes from the ears straight to the heart.”

The Herbie Hancock Institute’s National Peer-to-Peer Education Program has lead funding from the National Endowment of the Arts and United Airlines.

Download the full press release here.

Wayne Shorter 1933-2023

Posted on March 2, 2023March 28, 2023 by jazzcorner

Wayne Shorter was a member of the Institute family for over 30 years, serving as a member of the Board of Trustees, Competition Judge, and teacher and mentor to our college students and other young artists in our programs. Wayne participated each year in International Jazz Day and was deeply committed to its mission of uniting people around the world through the power of jazz. He was a giant in the music and we are forever grateful for his friendship and the generous sharing of his vast knowledge and wisdom with all of us.

Visionary composer, saxophonist, visual artist, devout Buddhist, devoted husband, father and grandfather Wayne Shorter has embarked on a new journey as part of his extraordinary life – departing the earth as we know it in search of an abundance of new challenges and creative possibilities. Always inquisitive and constantly exploring – ever the fearless and passionate innovator – Shorter was 89 years young and had just won his 13th Grammy Award in February. A gentle spirit, sci-fi and cartoon enthusiast, his long realized Opera “…Iphigenia,” that he created with collaborator esperanza spalding (and featuring sets by Frank Gehry) played to widespread critical acclaim across the country in 2021. Shorter was surrounded by his loving family at the time of his transition and is survived by his devoted wife Carolina, daughters Miyako and Mariana, and newly-born grandson, Max. Most recently Wayne had been contemplating his next project, a Jazz ballet.

“Generally acknowledged to be jazz’s greatest living composer” (The New York Times), Wayne Shorter has left an indelible mark on the development of music for the last half-century. He first rose to prominence in the late 1950s as the primary composer for Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Shorter next joined the Miles Davis Quintet, becoming what that bandleader referred to as the ensemble’s “intellectual musical catalyst” before co-founding the pioneering group Weather Report. Since 2001, he has led his own highly acclaimed quartet.

Said Herbie Hancock, Shorter’s closest friend for more than six decades, “Wayne Shorter, my best friend, left us with courage in his heart, love and compassion for all, and a seeking spirit for the eternal future. He was ready for his rebirth. As it is with every human being, he is irreplaceable and was able to reach the pinnacle of excellence as a saxophonist, composer, orchestrator, and recently, composer of the masterful opera ‘…Iphigenia’. I miss being around him and his special Wayne-isms but I carry his spirit within my heart always.”

Shorter’s works have been performed by the Chicago Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Lyon Symphony, National Polish Radio Symphonic Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Prague Philharmonic, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Acclaimed artists and ensembles including Renée Fleming and the Imani Winds have also performed his works. He has received commissions from the National, St. Louis, and Nashville symphony orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the La Jolla Music Society. In all, Shorter has realized over 200 compositions, and dozens of these works have become modern standards. His many accolades include 13 Grammy Awards and a 2018 Kennedy Center Honor.