WINNERS OF THE NATION’S HIGHEST AWARD IN JAZZ, THE
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS JAZZ MASTERS FAN OUT
CROSS-COUNTRY FOR NEA JAZZ MASTERS ON TOUR
From the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono, Maine to the Anchorage Concert Association in Anchorage, Alaska audiences throughout the United States will have opportunities in 2005-06 to hear and meet some of America’s most legendary musicians: the winners of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award.
These giants of American music are fanning out nationwide for a new season of NEA Jazz Masters on Tour. Organized by the National Endowment for the Arts and Arts Midwest, the program, which is being sponsored by Verizon, will reach all 50 states by providing funds to non-profit presenting organizations to feature NEA Jazz Masters, with educational activities included in each engagement. Additional support for the tour is provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation through a grant to Chamber Music America.
Under another component of the NEA Jazz Masters Initiative, NEA Jazz in the Schools, the Verizon Foundation is supporting the creation and distribution of curriculum materials that will be available for use in the educational activities at each engagement.
The National Endowment for the Arts launched NEA Jazz Masters on Tour in April 2004 with a smaller scale program that helped bring artists such as Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Heath and Randy Weston to audiences throughout the country. Now NEA Jazz Masters on Tour is in full operation. A complete list of participating presenters can be found at the end of this news release.
National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia said, “The NEA is proud to announce the biggest jazz program in its history. We are not only sponsoring a 50-state tour by many of America's greatest living jazz musicians. We also are providing high school teachers a free, multimedia jazz curriculum to introduce a new generation to this distinctly American art form.”
“As part of Verizon’s sponsorship of the NEA Jazz Masters Initiative, we are honored to help launch this exciting part of the project that will bring master musicians to venues across the country,” said Bob Ingalls, president of Verizon Retail Markets. “Verizon knows the value of connecting artists and audiences through the company’s long history of sponsoring music events such as the Verizon Music Festival and this year’s Grammy Awards. We are pleased to support this tour and the art of jazz.”
Host presenters will engage NEA Jazz Masters at their facilities beginning in late May 2005. The full schedule of artists and dates is in formation as of this writing. A continuously updated calendar of artists and dates will be maintained on the NEA Jazz Masters web site at
www.neajazzmasters.org.
Established in 1982, the NEA Jazz Masters program honors living legends for their exceptional contributions to jazz and helps to connect them, and their music, to the American people through broadcasts, publications, educational initiatives, and NEA Jazz Masters on Tour. The NEA Jazz Masters Initiative is sponsored by Verizon. For more information on NEA Jazz Masters, the public is invited to visit the web site, at
www.neajazzmasters.org
About the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts has taken a leadership role in supporting jazz artists and organizations since 1970, providing millions of dollars in grants and awards. The Arts Endowment is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts—both new and established—bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation’s largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.
About Verizon
With more than $71 billion in annual revenues, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon has a diverse work force of more than 210,000 in four business units: Domestic Telecom serves customers based in 29 states with wireline telecommunications services, including broadband and other services. Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 43.8 million voice and data customers across the United States. Information Services operates directory publishing businesses and provides electronic commerce services. International includes wireline and wireless operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit
www.verizon.com.
About Arts Midwest
Arts Midwest is a non-profit regional arts organization headquartered in Minneapolis, MN which serves audiences, arts organizations, and artists with high-quality cultural activities in a spectrum of artistic genres. Throughout our programming, Arts Midwest maintains a commitment to artistic quality and to reaching underserved audiences and communities. With a history spanning 25 years, Arts Midwest’s mission is to connect people throughout the Midwest and the world to meaningful arts opportunities, sharing creativity, knowledge, and understanding across boundaries. For more information, visit
www.artsmidwest.org.
Presenter
City
State
Tennessee Valley Jazz Society
Huntsville
Alabama
Anchorage Concert Association
Anchorage
Alaska
Scottsdale Center for the Arts
Scottsdale
Arizona
Walton Arts Center
Fayetteville
Arkansas
Monterey Jazz Festival
Monterey
California
San Francisco Jazz Organization
San Francisco
California
Newman Center for the Performing Arts
Denver
Colorado
Artists Collective
Hartford
Connecticut
Litchfield Performing Arts
Litchfield
Connecticut
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington
District of Columbia
Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
Washington
District of Columbia
Christina Cultural Arts Center
Wilmington
Delaware
Gold Coast Jazz Society
Fort Lauderdale
Florida
Miami Dade Community College
Miami
Florida
National Black Arts Festival
Atlanta
Georgia
Savannah Music Festival
Savannah
Georgia
Maui Arts & Cultural Center
Kahului
Hawaii
Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival
Moscow
Idaho
Jazz Institute of Chicago
Chicago
Illinois
American Pianists Association/Indy Jazz Festival
Indianapolis
Indiana
Hancher Auditorium
Iowa City
Iowa
Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts
Salina
Kansas
Kentucky Center for the Arts
Louisville
Kentucky
Contemporary Arts Center
New Orleans
Louisiana
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation
New Orleans
Louisiana
Maine Center for the Arts
Orono
Maine
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
College Park
Maryland
University of Massachusetts
Amherst
Massachusetts
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen
Michigan
University Musical Society
Ann Arbor
Michigan
Northrop Auditorium
Minneapolis
Minnesota
Jackson State University
Jackson
Mississippi
“We Always Swing” Jazz Series
Columbia
Missouri
American Jazz Museum
Kansas City
Missouri
Myrna Loy Center
Helena
Montana
Lied Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln
Nebraska
Sierra Arts Foundation
Reno
Nevada
Hopkins Center for the Arts
Hanover
New Hampshire
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Newark
New Jersey
Newark Public Radio
Newark
New Jersey
Outpost Productions
Albuquerque
New Mexico
Aaron Davis Hall at CCNY
New York
New York
Duke University Jazz Program
Durham
North Carolina
Jazz Arts Group
Fargo
North Dakota
Cityfolk Arts Festival
Dayton
Ohio
Toledo Jazz Society
Toledo
Ohio
Tri-C JazzFest
Cleveland
Ohio
Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame
Tulsa
Oklahoma
Portland Jazz Festival
Portland
Oregon
Lafayette College
Easton
Pennsylvania
Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild
Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania
City of Providence
Providence
Rhode Island
Newberry Opera House
Bowman
South Carolina
Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society
Sioux Falls
South Dakota
Tennessee Performing Arts Center
Nashville
Tennessee
University of Texas
Austin
Texas
Moab Music Festival
Moab
Utah
Flynn Theatre for the Performing Arts
Burlington
Vermont
Vermont Jazz Center
Brattleboro
Vermont
Virginia Arts Festival
Norfolk
Virginia
Reichhold Center for the Arts
St. Thomas
Virgin Islands
Centrum Foundation
Port Townsend
Washington
Earshot Jazz Society
Seattle
Washington
Marshall University Jazz Studies Program
Huntington
West Virginia
Lawrence University
Appleton
Wisconsin
WYO Theater
Sheridan
Wyoming
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