On July 18, 42 high school students from across the United States, British Columbia and Cuba gathered for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s second annual Summer Jazz Academy.
One of the nation’s premier programs designed for advanced jazz students, the two-week academy offers a variety of instructional classes on big band, the art of the small ensemble and jazz history, aesthetics and culture, plus performance workshops.
The institute is designed and instructed by trumpeter and Jazz at Lincoln Center Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, along with seven other faculty members: trumpeter Marcus Printup, saxophonist Ted Nash, trombonist Vincent Gardner, pianist Helen Sung, guitarist James Chirillo, bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Ali Jackson.
In addition to private lessons that focused on improving the technical aspects of their playing, students were able to play in a multitude of live performances, including one alongside the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.
The academy was held at Bard College in New York, and came to a close on July 31. On the final day, participants performed in the Summer Jazz Academy Big Band Finale from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The streaming concert can be viewed here.
More information on the academy can be found at jazz.org/summer-jazz-academy.
