News

Herbie Hancock Serves as the Voice of UNESCO 75th Anniversary Video

Institute Chairman Herbie Hancock played a prominent role in today’s 75th anniversary festivities for the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), helping to raise awareness of the UN agency’s unique mandate to foster unity through shared knowledge and cultural heritage. Hancock, who serves as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue, was invited […]

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Announcing the Institute of Jazz Performance Class of 2023

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz and UCLA Announce Incoming Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA Class of 2023 Los Angeles, CA – Eight extraordinary young jazz musicians have been selected for the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA, Class of 2023 starting this fall. Each will attain a Master of Music […]

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Institute Trustee Wayne Shorter Announced as 2021 Doris Duke Artist

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation announced that renowned saxophonist, composer, bandleader and Institute Trustee Wayne Shorter is among the recipients of the 2021 Doris Duke Artist Awards, recognizing his extraordinary contributions to composed and improvised music over a career spanning more than six decades. Shorter joins his bandmate, UNESCO Artist for Peace and longtime Institute […]

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Stanley Jordan, Legendary Guitarist and Educator, Gives Jazz in the Classroom Workshops for DCPS Students

Iconic jazz guitarist and educator Stanley Jordan paid a visit to the Institute’s Jazz in the Classroom programs at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Wilson High School in Washington, D.C. this week, sharing insights gained over more than four decades of playing professionally. Jordan’s sessions at Ellington and Wilson heralded the return […]

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Institute Students Head Back to School for 2021-22 Academic Year

Students across the Institute’s programs recently began heading back to school for the 2021-22 academic year, with the continuing impacts of COVID-19 necessitating a wide range of safety protocols and alternative strategies, including continued virtual learning. The Institute is working diligently with teachers and administrators in each of its partner schools to confront the complex […]

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2008 Saxophone Competition Winner Jon Irabagon to Star in Upcoming Solo Performance Film

Renowned first-generation Filipino-American saxophonist and composer Jon Irabagon, winner of the Institute’s 2008 International Saxophone Competition, is set to star in an innovative new performance film released by Columbus, Ohio, nonprofit A Tribe for Jazz. LEGACY: Jon Irabagon, a Solo Tenor Odyssey showcases Irabagon performing his original compositions entirely unaccompanied in a dramatic black box […]

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An Impressive Finish for Jazz in the Classroom Class of 2021

Among the myriad challenges COVID-19 has created for students and teachers, music education has proven a tough nut to crack. This is particularly true for jazz, with its emphasis on interaction, musical conversation and spontaneity – all rendered decidedly less practical by the constraints of virtual learning. Students like Elder Gindroz, a pianist, longtime participant […]

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New Video Features Jazz Legend Herbie Hancock, Aims to Educate Kindergarteners Around the World

Through an inspired collaboration with 14-time GRAMMY and Academy Award-winning pianist and composer Herbie Hancock along with an award-winning team of animators from Atomic Kid Studios, the Young Academic Research Group (YAM) at the Touro Graduate School of Education in New York City has released the first in a series of animated videos showcasing innovative […]

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Remembering Lynda Thomas

The Institute’s Board of Trustees and staff are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Institute Trustee and longtime friend of the Institute Lynda Thomas. A steadfast lover and supporter of the arts, Thomas was passionate about increasing access to meaningful arts education and mentorship experiences–especially among the less fortunate and those from […]

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Institute Teaching Artists Serve as Guest Lecturers for UCLA Global Jazz Studies

With online and distance learning still the norm due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in early 2021 the Institute began offering a virtual workshop series aimed at students in the Global Jazz Studies department at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. The workshops, which will continue through the end of the 2020-21 academic year, feature […]

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