09 May Telluride Jazz Festival: Educational Programs+
Anticipating yet another robust festival season in Telluride, the Telluride Jazz Festival 2.0 reveals its 2017 artist lineup, a gift from the new management, Steve Gumble’s SBG Productions, which also programs Telluride Blues & Brews and the Durango Blues Train. Go here to read about artist lineup.
Also this year at Telluride Jazz, music education and outdoor adventure pair up for the ultimate youth summer camp, a mind-body fusion realized under the auspices of the 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Telluride Society For Jazz (TSJ). This youth initiative is the newest component of the Festival’s student education mission. (More on those unique programs below.)
For more festival information or to purchase tickets, go here.
Telluride Jazz Festival organizers have partnered with Telluride Academy and Caleb Chapman’s Soundhouse to introduce a new, week-long music education and outdoor adventure academy for students to run from July 31 – August 4, 2017.
The goal of the Telluride Jazz Adventure Academy is to provide students with the opportunity to learn new music skills, collaborate with peers, perform on stage during the Festival, and adventure outdoors at the height of summer in the San Juan Mountains.
Students will spend mornings with world-renowned music-educators in town with Caleb Chapman and his team. The curriculum will include jazz improv, theory, and articulation, followed by a group ensemble rehearsal and then a look at music history.
The Academy program schedule includes morning instruction followed by unique, outdoor adventures including stand-up paddle boarding, hiking, and rock climbing with Telluride Academy guides in the afternoon.
The week concludes with a student performance on the Free Stage in Elks Park and attendance to the 41st Annual Telluride Jazz Festival. Course registration costs $630 per student and participants must be ages 12 and older.
Registration includes course instruction, daily field trips, and a 3-Day Festival pass for the weekend. For more information or to register for the Academy, go here.
For a more formal jazz learning experience, applications are now open for the Festival’s flagship educational scholarship program, the Telluride Student All-Star Jazz Ensemble.
Through the program, an elite group of student musicians will be selected to travel to Telluride the week preceding the festival to immerse themselves in compositions and study music together with esteemed program directors Professors Bob Montgomery and Josh Quinlan.
As the festival weekend nears, the All-Stars group will perform at venues around Telluride and is then rewarded with the opening festival slot on the Telluride Town Park Main Stage.
The purpose of the All-Stars program is to inspire and guide young musicians who are poised to pursue their education in jazz and who are at the level to begin their professional careers. Education, room and board is provided free-of-charge upon acceptance to the program. The only cost to the students is transportation to and from Telluride. Auditions must be submitted before June 19, 2017. Auditions can be submitted online here.
In recent years, many former Telluride Student All-Stars students have ascended to professional music careers and returned to the Town Park Main Stage. The Telluride Student All-Stars Jazz Ensemble Scholarship Program is supported by individual contributions, grants, and the generous Dworbell, Inc. sponsorship.
Returning to the 2017 Festival is the Free Stage at Elks Park.
Located in the heart of historic downtown Telluride, the grassy outdoor amphitheater will host a series of free artist workshops and performances by student bands throughout the festival weekend.
Artist workshops give attendees and locals a chance to interact with festival artists while learning about jazz culture, history, and methods. Student band performances include an eclectic lineup of regional ensembles and tomorrow’s superstars. The Voodoo Orchestra, Telluride Student All-Star Jazz Ensemble, Stillwater All-Stars, Soul Research Foundation, Hooligans Brass Band, The Inevitables, and the Telluride Jazz Academy Band are all slated to perform. Details about the artist workshops along with the full festival schedule will be released soon.
The Telluride Jazz Festival and its programs represent music education of the highest order. World- class jazz musicians bring their talent, skills, and knowledge to the Telluride community, sharing it all on the Town Park Main Stage, Free Stage at Elks Park, Jazz After Dark historic venues, Telluride School District, and other regional education institutions.
To learn more about the student education mission of the Telluride Jazz Festival, visit www.telluridejazz.org/education.
About Telluride Jazz Festival:
Located in the legendary outdoor venue in the breathtaking mountain town of Telluride, Colorado, the 41st Telluride Jazz Festival is set to take place August 4-6, 2017.
Combining a rich tradition of preserving the American Jazz art form with an unmatched aesthetic experience, SBG Productions brings a new era to the Telluride Jazz Festival, showcasing three days and nights of world class jazz, funk, soul, folk and gospel, with a goal of community engagement and student education.
Unmatched scenery and a musically-charged local culture accompanied by a wide variety of special events including artist workshops, daily winery and distillery tastings, panel discussions, children’s activities, cozy late night club shows, and much more will round out the weekend celebration.
The historical mining town of Telluride sits nestled in a scenic box canyon at 8,750 feet, surrounded by 13,000 foot peaks, and is a prized gem of the Rocky Mountains. This year’s artist lineup features Mavis Staples, Macy Gray, Bootsy Collins & World-Wide Funk Drive, Lee Fields & the Expressions, Miles Mosley + The West Coast Get Down and many more.
About SBG Productions:
A full-service event and festival production company since 1994, SBG Productions specializes in the unique, multi-faceted live music experiences of the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival, Telluride Jazz Festival, and Durango Blues Train.
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