Jazz at Lincoln Center announces inaugural Jack Rudin Jazz Championship
Jazz at Lincoln Center is proud to announce the launch of its inaugural Jack Rudin Jazz Championship, a two-day invitational competition featuring ensembles from ten of the most well-regarded university jazz programs in the country. The inaugural Jack Rudin Jazz Championship will take place on January 18 —19, 2020 throughout Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Jazz at Lincoln Center is located on Broadway at 60th Street, New York, New York.
Ensembles competing in the Inaugural “Jack Rudin Jazz Championship” hail from the following colleges and universities:
- California State University, Northridge (Northridge, CA)
- University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO)
- University of North Texas (Denton, TX)
- Indiana University (Bloomington, IN)
- Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
- Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY)
- North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC)
- Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)
- The Juilliard School (New York, NY)
- Manhattan School of Music (New York, NY)
The Jack Rudin Jazz Championship honors the legacy of Jack Rudin, longtime supporter of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and his founding support for Essentially Ellington, the organization’s signature transformative education program. Beginning this year, the Jack Rudin Jazz Championship will provide participating ensembles with quality literature and a forum for celebrating excellence and achievement, while introducing higher education to Jazz at Lincoln Center’s education methodology and philosophy.
The Jack Rudin Jazz Championship competition events will include a combo showcase in The Appel Room, and a final concert featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in Rose Theater. The final competition will feature performances by the three top-placing bands, followed by an awards ceremony and announcement of the band taking top honors. The ensembles will also participate in rehearsals, workshops, and competition on the Rose Theater stage.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Managing and Artistic Director, Wynton Marsalis, says “Jack Rudin loved the music and believed in education. He believed in equal education for everyone and continued to support his high school, both financially and personally, for years after he had graduated. He was the first supporter for our Essentially Ellington Competition & Festival which is now in its 25th year, and we are proud to name this new collegiate competition for him.
Marsalis continues, “It is my dream that the two days of workshops, performances, and collegial competition will afford these students the opportunity to meet and interact with the finest students, educators, and professionals from around the world. We believe this experience will exemplify the type of fellowship and community that is the hallmark of jazz. I am sure we will all agree that in these divided times, our arts exist to call us home to our greatest historic achievements and our highest aspirations.”
Jazz at Lincoln Center Vice President of Education, Todd Stoll, says, “This will be the greatest collection of young jazz talent in recent history. These ten bands represent the highest level of achievement in our music by young people.”
A longtime supporter of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jack and his beloved wife Susan have been steadfast in their commitment to our music and mission. Jack and Susan understood very early on the value and importance of educating our youth about this important American art form—jazz. Jack was all about education for young people, particularly those who were disadvantaged. In 2012, Jack and Susan generously endowed Jazz at Lincoln Center’s national Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Program, the first of our programs to be endowed.
For additional information, visit jazz.org
