Residents will experience an intense learning experience designed to help them find their sound, mature as musicians, and make lasting connections with like-minded peers. Cityfest’s summer jazz residency received program development guidance from John F. Kennedy Center’s prestigious international jazz program – the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead project. Program sessions are led by the faculty who are selected from the rich pool of talented music professionals who reside, teach and work in the mid-Atlantic region.
The 24-hours-a-day immersive environment of this two-week residency will encourage creative exploration and exchange between the participants. Participants will be given the opportunity to develop personal strategies for pursuing career opportunities while being surrounded by a stylistically and culturally diverse community of mentors and peers. Daily activities include workshops, rehearsals, composing, performance opportunities, and master classes with some of the top players in jazz today. The residency culminates in a final performance on the last day of the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival.
OUR VISION…is to become a jazz residency that is known for encouraging and nurturing the next generation of jazz performers and preparing them for a life-long journey of self-discovery and self-exploration. We strive to ensure jazz’s continued evolution by helping each participant find their unique voice.
OUR MISSION…is to introduce a select group of young jazz students (ages 17-25) to an intense two-week residency focused on performing, composing/arranging, and improvisation. Lessons learned, pieces written, and skills gained in classes and workshops will be applied in several semi-public performances throughout the residency, and final public concert of student works.
The goal of the Boysie Lowery Living Jazz Residency is to give participants an opportunity to focus on their passion for jazz through an intense two week residency program. Participants will be introduced to a variety of harmonic, melodic, sonic, and textural possibilities, and then be asked to apply them to new compositions that will be played in rehearsal for immediate feedback. Students will constantly be able to workshop new and old works, thus, allowing them to begin to develop a sound of their own. Our goal is not to mold students into clones of past jazz legends, or ourselves, but to give them a space where they can define their own unique sound.
This residency has been designed with the dedicated performer/composer in mind. Jazz musicians from age 17 through age 25 who compose and perform, who reside in the Mid-Atlantic region are encouraged to apply. Applicants should have a passion for jazz in its many forms, a willingness to collaborate with other passionate musicians, and the drive to push the boundaries of the music. They should also be comfortable reading and writing music, improvising over changes, and working in an ensemble setting.
The “Boysie” Lowery Living Jazz Residency is designed to give students an intense learning experience that will help them begin to find their sound, mature as a player, mature as a musician, and make lasting connections with like minded peers. The residency will include rehearsals where students will workshop their original arrangements and compositions in set ensembles with a coach, private lessons in composition and performance from our world class faculty, classes where participants will explore 20th century harmonic concepts and apply them to new original compositions, master classes on everything from the business side of music to performing to finding inspiration for new compositions, and let’s not forget the opportunity to hang 24/7 with like minded players. The second week of the residency coincides with the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, which features some of the nation’s top jazz talent. Students will have the opportunity to experience each night of the festival.
There will be several semi-public performance opportunities during the residency as well as a final culminating performance.
Cityfest will provide participants with daily catered meals or a per diem to cover meal expenses. Participants will be provided with housing at one of the Delaware College of Art and Design’s student residences.
Transportation to and from Wilmington, DE will be the responsibility of the residency participant.
CityFest, Inc. Wilmington, DE
A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation
800 N. French Street, 9th Floor
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
Email: Cityfest@Wimingtonde.gov
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