The 2007 finalists for the American Pianists Association (APA) Jazz Fellowship Award have been chosen. The fellowship, which recognizes promising young jazz pianists, is valued at around $75,000.
The preliminary round of the competition weeded out five musicians from 40 contestants. The finalists are as follows: Victor Gould, 19, of Los Angeles, currently attending the Berklee School of Music in Boston; Jacob Koller, 26, of Ariz., a graduate of Arizona State University; Jeremy Siskind, 20, of Irvine, Calif., currently attending the Eastman School of Music; Dan Tepfler, 25, of New York, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, the Paris Conservatory and the New England Conservatory; and Glenn Zaleski, 19, of Mass., currently attending the University of the Pacific’s Bruback Institute. Four alternates were also named in case anything should interfere with the current finalists’ eligibility for competition.
Five internationally renowned jazz artists are scheduled to judge the semifinal round of competition, scheduled to take place on April 27th and 28th in Indianapolis, Ind. These judges will include jazz pianist Lynne Arriale, composer-pianist Fred Hersch, jazz booking executive Joel Chriss, Juno winner Renee Rosnes and MaxJazz recording artist Denny Zeitlin.
The finalists will also participate in Concerto Curriculum programs throughout Indianapolis to showcase their talents. In addition to the cash award, the winner of the two-year fellowship will also receive publicity and career assistance, as well as recital and concert engagements worldwide.
The fellowship was begun in honor of Cole Porter, the legendary Indiana songwriter, and is made possible by an endowment from the James O. and Alice F. Cole Foundation, courtesy of Mrs. Margaret Cole Russell. Commercial sponsors for the Jazz Fellowship Awards include Citizen’s Gas, Kroger, Omni Severing Hotel, Air Tran, Cummins Inc., Lath Family Foundation, Locke Reynolds, REI, Viola, Lily Endowment, Lilly Corporation, Indiana Arts Commission, Arts Council of Indianapolis and Rotary Foundation.
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