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Spring Benefit Evening Explores What Classical Music and Jazz Have in Common Duke Ellington was mentored by students of Dvorak, and there is a long tradition in jazz of taking advantage of whatever is available (or, as the old jazz song put it, "'Tain't what you do, it's the way hot-cha do it!"). In more recent years, Gunther Schuller merged the musics into what he called "third-stream music." Having played in both classical and jazz orchestras, he observed, "There is no doubt in my mind that the classical world can learn much about timing, rhythmic accuracy, and subtlety from jazz musicians, as jazz musicians can in dynamics, structure and contrast from the classical musicians." With the advent of jazz at Juilliard, this give-and-take has become a day-to-day reality.
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| New York City ballet master-in-chief, Peter Martins (left), creates a new dance set to Paul Schoenfield’s Café Music, performed by the Claremont Trio. (Photo by Paul Kolnik) |
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On March 31, The Juilliard School will hold a benefit titled "Classified Jazz," presenting celebrated alumni, faculty, students, and distinguished guest artists in a gala concert that will plumb the connections between the two musical traditions. The evening—which will include a post-concert dinner for benefit patrons under a tent on Paul Milstein Plaza—will pay tribute to June Noble Larkin, a member of Juilliard's board of trustees since 1974. As chairman of the board from 1985 to 1994, she oversaw the addition of the Meredith Willson Residence Hall to the Juilliard campus. More recently, her leadership support of The Campaign for Juilliard, through a five-year total gift of $10 million, led to the founding of the June Noble Larkin Program for the Humanities at The Juilliard School. The new Mentoring program is the first full manifestation of the Larkin program, which is also helping to provide two additional Liberal Arts faculty members. Other facets of the program will include a communications center to teach writing and public speaking skills, plus a distinguished visiting scholars program. June Larkin has also been a pioneering patron of jazz at Juilliard.Christine Baranski and Keith David will be the hosts for the 90-minute "Classified Jazz" performance in the Juilliard Theater. Soprano Renée Fleming and jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis will collaborate on baroque and jazz works, demonstrating the importance of improvisation to both types of music.
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| The Claremont Trio (Photo by Christian Steiner) |
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Guest artist Peter Martins, ballet master-in-chief of the New York City Ballet, has created a new ballet for the evening to Paul Schoenfield's Café Music. The world premiere of the new work will be performed by fourth-year dancers Jubal Battisti, Michiko Isono, Isaac Spencer, and Rachel Tess. Schoenfield's jazz-influenced music will be played by the Claremont Trio, formed by violinist Emily Bruskin, cellist Julia Bruskin, and pianist Donna Kwang at Juilliard in 1999.Led by Juilliard Institute of Jazz Studies artistic director and saxophonist Victor Goines, members of Juilliard's jazz faculty—pianist Mike LeDonne, bassist Ben Wolfe, and drummer Carl Allen—will present the first public performance of "Flowers for Juilli," written by Wycliffe Gordon, the title track for a newly released CD by Juilliard jazz faculty members who are donating sale proceeds to Juilliard's jazz program.
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| Wynton Marsalis (Photo by Keith Major) |
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The finale of the concert will feature pianist Terrence Wilson performing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Conductor Jeffrey Milarsky will lead the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, augmented with strings and winds from Juilliard's classical ensembles, in the rarely heard arrangement created by Ferde Grofé in 1924 for Paul Whiteman's dance band."Classified Jazz" is the fourth in a series of major benefit evenings held at Juilliard since 1999. These benefits, with their reputation for fresh programming and artistic excellence, present Juilliard in a festive light to new audiences. Proceeds from these events have become an important part of Juilliard's operating budget and patrons' generous support of the evening will benefit every part of the School.More information about "Classified Jazz" can be obtained by calling Buckley Hall Events at (212) 573-6933.
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