Friday, April 04, 2008

ATLANTA AREA YOUTH COMPETE IN THE 8th ANNUAL YOUTH JAZZ BAND COMPETITION

The Atlanta Jazz Festival in partnership with Spelman College and Jazz 91.9 WCLK, presents the 8th Annual Youth Jazz Band Competition. Created to showcase young jazz talent from more than 400 youth from middle and high schools throughout the metro Atlanta area, the competition is a great vehicle for young enthusiasts to pursue and broaden their knowledge and understanding of jazz music. “The Youth Jazz Competition is a great way to promote middle school and high school jazz bands and encourage jazz education,” said Camille Russell Love, Director of the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. “This competition allows these students to showcase their immense talent and gives them a chance to shine on the main stage at the Atlanta Jazz Festival.”

The Youth Jazz Band competition will be held at Spelman College in the Cosby Academic Center Auditorium on Saturday, April 26, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is free and open to the public. Three bands will be selected to open the 31st Annual Atlanta Jazz Festival, held Memorial Day weekend, May 24th - May 26th. One of the three bands will open each day of the festival with a performance on the Main Stage.

2008 Participating Schools to Date are:
• Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School Jazz Ensemble
• Centennial High School Mighty Knight Jazz Ensemble
• Henry County High School Jazz Band
• Inman Jazz Eagles
• J.C. Young Jazz Ensemble
• MLK Jazz Band
• Riverdale High Jazz Band
• Sandtown Middle School Jazz Band
• Shamrock Middle Jazz Ensemble
• Tucker Middle School Jazz Band
• Wheeler High School Jazz Ensemble

ABOUT THE ATLANTA JAZZ FESTIVAL
The Atlanta Jazz Festival, an annual musical showcase, celebrates jazz legends and up-and-coming jazz greats in venues throughout metro Atlanta during the month of May and culminates in a 3-day music festival on Memorial Day Weekend. It is the mission of the Atlanta Jazz Festival to expose and entertain a diverse audience of jazz aficionados, young jazz enthusiasts and musical artists to the rich heritage and variety of jazz as an authentic form of traditional music. The 2008 Atlanta Jazz Festival builds on the success and heritage of previous festivals by continuing its expansion with a 31-day schedule. Sponsors of this year’s festival are: The Coca-Cola Bottling Company, JW Pepper, Atlanta CVB, Publix Supermarkets, JazzTimes, Mapex, Anheuser Busch, Spelman College, Brand Atlanta, Smart Music, WCLK 91.9, Upscale Magazine, Sheraton Atlanta, BET Jazz, and TD Entertainment. For more information on the Atlanta Jazz Festival, please call the information hotline at 404.853.4234 or visit the website at www.atlantafestivals.com.

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