Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Middle School Jazz Academy will present their free Showcase Concert Saturday, Jan. 28 at 1 p.m. The one-hour concert will feature the talent of 13 students from 5th-8th grades, representing four of New York City’s five boroughs. In its first year, the tuition-free program is awarded to students who may otherwise not be able to afford private lessons.
The seven-month program takes place twice weekly, with a general session and private lessons, and students have the opportunity to meet JALC Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis and other members of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. Academy faculty include pianist Eli Yamin, flutist Jamie Baum, guitarist Tom Dempsey, bassist David Wong and trumpeter Ravi Best.
Tickets will be available starting Jan. 16 at the JALC box office and online at www.jalc.org.
The 2006 Middle School Jazz Academy Students:
- Rashida Abraham, 7th grade, trumpet, Queens
- Hasani Arthur, 8th grade, trumpet, Brooklyn
- Robert Booker, 8th grade, drums, xylophone, Brooklyn
- Denisse Corporan, 6th grade, flute, Manhattan
- Yerko DiFonis, 7th grade, piano, Brooklyn
- Ariam Espinal, 7th grade, bass, Bronx
- Kevin Frias, 8th grade, guitar, Manhattan
- Joi Henry, 7th grade, clarinet, Jamaica
- Christopher Krasnow, 8th grade, trombone, piano, Manhattan
- Keefe Martin, 5th grade, trumpet, Brooklyn
- Sofia Mojica, 7th grade, bass, Bronx
- Yimin Peng, 8th grade, piano, Manhattan
- Aaron B. Witherspoon, 8th grade, piano, Manhattan
