National High School All-Star Big Band’s Only Public Performance
Before Leaving on Two-Week Tour of Japan
Optional Winemaker’s Dinner at 5:30 pm Prior to Concert
Monterey, CA; July 11, 2016; Monterey Jazz Festival’s 2016 Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, the internationally-renowned high school all-star big band, will perform at Folktale Winery in Carmel on Friday, July 22 at 7 pm prior for departing on their two-week tour of Japan. The show is their only public performance this summer.
Tickets are $25 for General Admission, or $10 for children 12 and under. Tickets include performance, small bites and no-host bar. Also available is a special winemaker’s pre-concert dinner at 5:30 pm option that features Folktale owner Gregory Ahn, paired wines from Folktale, and food from Tarpy’s Roadhouse five-star chef Todd Fisher for $150, and includes VIP seating for the show.
Ticket information can be found on the Monterey Jazz Festival website, www.montereyjazzfestival.org.
“This year’s Orchestra is a true cross-section of the best musicians in the United States and abroad,” said Paul Contos, MJF Education Director and conductor of the NGJO. “Many of them have won multiple scholarships, DownBeat awards and soloist citations from jazz competitions across the country, been recognized by national organizations like the YoungArts Foundation and have already appeared on TV shows like The Late Show, The Tonight Show, and this year’s International Jazz Day White House Celebration. They’ve also been selected to other top-flight national jazz orchestras like the GRAMMY Band and the Jazz Band of America, and many All-State ensembles. We look forward to presenting these talented musicians to Monterey County and to represent the festival on the tour of Japan.”
“We are very excited to partner with Monterey Jazz Festival,” said John Fitzgerald, Director of Hospitality at Folktale Winery & Vineyards. “We proudly support the arts and culture in our community and love what MJF is doing to bring world-class music to the Monterey Peninsula.”
Twenty-one high school musicians from six states and Israel comprise the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Texas, and Virginia. Two Monterey County musicians, trumpeter Akili Bradley of Seaside, and guitarist Isaac de Vera of Monterey, are the first Monterey County students to be accepted in the NGJO since 2005.
The last time the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra played a summer public event in Monterey County was at the 74th Annual Carmel Bach Festival in 2011, when the band performed with tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano and vocalist Alice Kirwan Murray. The orchestra has appeared at jazz festivals and venues around the world on three continents.
About Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival celebrates the legacy of jazz, expands its boundaries, and provides opportunities to experience jazz through the creative production of performances and educational programs.
What: 2016 Next Generation Jazz Orchestra Concert at Folktale
When: Friday, July 22, 7 pm
Where: Folktale Winery, 8940 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel, CA 93923
Cost: $25 (General Admission) $10 (12 and under)
Optional: VIP Winemaker Dinner and VIP Seating ($150, 5:30 pm)
More Information: www.montereyjazzfestival.org
2016 NEXT GENERATION JAZZ ORCHESTRA MEMBERS
Director – Mr. Paul Contos
WOODWINDS
Matt Richards, alto / Las Lomas High School, Walnut Creek, CA
Aviv Blum, alto / Sudbury Democratic School, Jerusalem, Israel
Alex Yuwen, tenor / Hamilton High School, Chandler, AZ
Michael Schwartz, tenor / Redwood High School, Larkspur, CA
Adam Band, baritone / Bullard High School, Fresno, CA
TROMBONES
Ian Kaufman / Mt. Carmel High School, San Diego, CA
Jasim Perales** / Berkeley High School, Berkeley, CA
Ethan Santos** / Buchanan High School, Fresno, CA
Jack Kotze / Lincoln-Way North High School, Frankfort, IL
Joshua Hernandez (bass) / J. M. Hanks High School, El Paso, TX
TRUMPETS
Carlos Ramos** (lead) / Downey High School, Downey, CA
Erik Ondrejko (asst. lead) / Denver School of the Arts, Denver, CO
Geoff Gallante / West Potomac High School, Alexandria, VA
Evan Abounassar** / Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Los Angeles, CA
Akili Bradley / California Virtual Academies, Seaside, CA
RHYTHM
Luca Mendoza, piano / Crossroads School, Santa Monica, CA
Isaac de Vera, guitar / Monterey High School, Monterey, CA
Max Schwartz, bass / Berkeley High School, Berkeley, CA
Julius Rodriguez, drums / The Masters School, White Plains, NY
Benjamin Ring, drums / Piedmont High School, Piedmont, CA
Abigail Berry, vocals / Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Los Angeles, CA
** 2-year NGJO member
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For more information, please contact:
Timothy Orr
Marketing Associate
Monterey Jazz Festival
831.646.8670
timorr@montereyjazzfestival.org
www.montereyjazzfestival.org
MJF59 Partners include: Alaska Airlines, AT&T, Cal Humanities, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; DownBeat, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Inns of Monterey, The Jazz Cruise, Jazziz, JazzTimes, KAZU 90.3FM, KSBW/Central Coast ABC, the City of Monterey, Mission Linen, National Endowment for the Arts, North Coast Brewing Company, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Scheid Family Wines, SmoothJazz.com Global, Yamaha Drums, and Yamaha Pianos.
Monterey Jazz Festival Education programs are sponsored by: Arts Council for Monterey County, the Carmel, Pacific Grove and Monterey Rotary Clubs; Community Foundation for Monterey County, Joseph Drown Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, Harden Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, McGraw Hill, Monterey County Gives, Monterey Peninsula Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Pebble Beach Company Foundation, Quest Foundation, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, William H. Donner Foundation, Bill Graham Supporting Foundation, Nancy Buck Ransom Foundation, Monterey Peninsula Volunteer Services, S.T.A.R. Foundation of Monterey County, Yellow Brick Road Foundation, and the Upjohn California Fund.