Monterey Jazz Festival’s Monterey County All-Star Band and Vocal Honor Ensemble Perform in Kansas and Missouri, June 25 – 27, 2011
All-Star Band and Vocal Ensemble Perform at San Jose Jazz Festival, August 13; Jazz on the Plazz in Los Gatos, August 17, and at 54th Monterey Jazz Festival, September 18
June 14, 2011; Monterey, CA; On Friday, June 24, the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Monterey County High School All-Star Band and High School Honor Vocal Jazz Ensemble will depart for a three-day tour to the heartland of the United States, with performances in Kansas and Missouri including Overland Park, St. Louis, and Kansas City.
During the All-Star Band’s and Vocal Jazz Ensemble’s tour, they will perform at the Jazz in the Woods Festival in Overland Park, Kansas (6/25); the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri (6/26); and the Jazz Bistro in St. Louis (6/27).
“I’m very excited about our upcoming County High School All-Star Band and High School Honor Vocal Jazz Ensemble tour to America’s jazz heartland beginning June 24th,” said Dr. Rob Klevan, Education Director of the Monterey Jazz Festival. “The tour will give our students a chance to visit some of the most historical points of interest in America’s jazz history, as well as perform in a variety of settings, including Kansas City’s largest free festival. This should be really fun!”
After their return from the Midwest, the Monterey County High School All-Star Band will perform at the San Jose Jazz Festival on Saturday, August 13 at 6:00pm on the Next Gen Stage at the Tech Museum. Both the All-Star Band and the Vocal Honor Ensemble will also perform at Jazz on the Plazz in Los Gatos on Wednesday, August 17, from 6:30 to 8:30pm. The Jazz on the Plazz concert is free, and will take place at the Los Gatos Town Plaza, at the intersection of West Main Street and Santa Cruz Avenue in downtown Los Gatos. The bands will also make their traditional appearance at the Monterey Jazz Festival on Sunday, September 18 in the Night Club.
The Monterey County High School All-Star Band, directed by renowned saxophonist and flautist Mr. Paul Contos, includes the best and brightest student musicians from the Festival’s home county. Members are selected by the Festival’s “Traveling Clinicians” who visit Monterey schools once a month during the school year for one-on-one instruction in jazz, and the 2011 groups include jazz musicians and vocalists from Carmel, Monterey Pacific Grove, Salinas, and Stevenson high schools.
Major funding for the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Monterey County All-Star Band and High School Honor Vocal Jazz Ensembles comes from the Nancy Buck Ransom Foundation; the Bob Phillips Monterey County High School All-Star Band Endowment Fund; AT&T Foundation; Pebble Beach Company Foundation; Robert & Audrey Talbott Foundation; the Hydeus Kiatta Fund; Jazz on the Plazz; the Carmel-by-the-Sea, Corral de Tierra and Monterey Rotary Clubs; and by generous individuals.
2011 Monterey County High School All-Star Band and Vocal Honor Ensemble Tour Dates
June 25: Overland Park, KS / Jazz in the Woods Festival, 5:15 and 6:30pm
June 26: Kansas City, MO / American Jazz Museum
June 27: St. Louis, MO / Jazz Bistro, 8:30 and 10:15pm
August 13: San Jose, CA / San Jose Jazz Festival, Next Gen Stage, 6:00pm
August 17: Los Gatos, CA / Jazz on the Plazz, 6:30pm
September 18: 54th Monterey Jazz Festival, Night Club, 4:30pm
About the Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival is dedicated to perpetuating the uniquely American form of music known as jazz by producing performances that celebrate the legacy and expand the boundaries of jazz; and by presenting year-round local, regional, national, and international jazz education programs. The Monterey Jazz Festival is a nonprofit organization and has donated its proceeds to musical education since its inception in 1958.
2011 Monterey County High School All-Star Band
Director – Mr. Paul Contos
Saxophones
Nathan Short – alto, Carmel High School
Davis Mendelsohn – alto, Salinas High School
Alexander Alegre – tenor, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Matt Pardue – tenor, Carmel High School
Emmett Ferry – baritone, Carmel High School
Trombones
Peter Sujan, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Matthew Shonman, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Ben Hudson, Stevenson School
Edison Cho, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Marshall Murphy (bass), Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Trumpets
Steven Groves, Salinas High School
Alec Guertin, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Mikey Cho, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Tyler Chisman, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Bryan Louie, Stevenson School
Rhythm/Other
Patrick Hogan – piano, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Andrew Parker – bass, Salinas High School
Nigel Hardy – guitar, Carmel High School
Micah Cabaccang – drums, Salinas High School
Cameron Yeater – drums, Carmel High School
Ashley Johnson – vocals, Salinas High School
2011 Monterey County High School Honor Vocal Jazz Ensemble
Director – Kerry Marsh
Ashley Johnson, Salinas High School
Kalinda Bittner, Stevenson School
Amanda Fridley, Monterey High School
Maria Herbst, Monterey High School
Emma Hewett, Carmel High School
Kirsi Myntti, Stevenson School
Jackie Choi, Stevenson School
Brenna Swanston, Salinas High School
Vincent Randazzo, Monterey High School
Paul Towber, Salinas High School
Jake Greenshields, Monterey High School
Ben Hudson, Stevenson High School
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For more information, high-resolution pictures and interview opportunities please contact:
Timothy Orr, Marketing Associate
Monterey Jazz Festival
Direct Line: 510.652.1122
Monterey Office Phone: 831.373.3366
timorr@montereyjazzfestival.org
www.montereyjazzfestival.org