Berklee Global Jazz Workshop at the Newport Jazz Festival Announced for 2016

The Berklee Global Jazz Workshop at the Newport Jazz Festival debuts in 2016 for vocalists and instrumentalists to study with faculty and students from Berklee’s Global Jazz Institute. The program will take place at the Salve Regina University campus, from July 25 – 29. At week’s end, students will perform on the Newport Jazz Festival stage. Newport Jazz Festival founder George Wein and the Newport Festivals Foundation will provide 30 students with full scholarships to the workshop. Students can apply for the program starting October 1, 2015, at berklee.edu/summer.

The Berklee Global Jazz Workshop at the Newport Jazz Festival is designed as an intensive five-day program for students 15 to 18 years old. Each day will feature master classes in improvisation, theory, performance, harmonic analysis, and instrumental instruction. Ensembles will rehearse in the afternoons, and jam sessions and open mics will give students the opportunity to collaborate and put new skills to practice in the evenings. Throughout the week, Newport Jazz Festival artists will visit the workshop, listening, critiquing, and sharing their experiences as working musicians.

The Berklee Global Jazz Institute, led by Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer Danilo Pérez, is a performance program at Berklee designed to foster creativity and musicianship at the highest level through various musical disciplines, and advance the power of music as a tool for the betterment of society. In addition to Pérez, its faculty includes  John Patitucci, George Garzone, Joe Lovano, and Terri Lyne Carrington. 

About Newport Festivals Foundation

The Newport Festivals Foundation was founded by George Wein in 2010 to build up and continue the legacies of the famed Newport Jazz Festival (July 31-August 2,2015) and Newport Folk Festival (July 24-26, 2015). Under the auspices of the Foundation, the Newport Jazz Festival presents performers who respect and honor jazz music traditions, and at the same time reflect the changes in today's musical trends. Through the establishment of partnerships with local high schools and colleges/universities, the foundation will present programs to educate young people about jazz music as presented at the annual festival. The foundation also will present a Family Concert at Fort Adams on July 29. For more information, visit newportfestivalsfoundation.org.