Monterey, CA; and Houston TX; October 15, 2019; The Monterey Jazz Festival is proud to announce a new partnership with Texas Southern University (TSU) in Houston, Texas, one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black colleges and universities in the nation. The partnership with TSU will broaden the reach of the Monterey Jazz Festival’s education programs to many more young people, while leveraging TSU’s commitment and legacy of jazz excellence.
The partnership includes activities both in Houston and Monterey and was launched at the 62nd Monterey Jazz Festival, September 27-29, 2019. Jazz and music business students from TSU traveled to Monterey to participate as production and marketing interns during the Festival, providing them with real- world experience and opportunities to work alongside top professionals in the music industry at a world-class event.
The integration of high-quality education and outreach programs and year-round events to expand the legacy and popularity of jazz to a larger, more diverse audience is a critical component of MJF’s new Strategic Plan and Mission, Vision, and Values statements. By working in conjunction with TSU, MJF is achieving this critical goal of reaching younger audiences and helping to create new generations of jazz performers and fans.
“Monterey Jazz Festival is excited to build on the spirit of inclusiveness inherent in jazz as it begins this new partnership with Texas Southern University,” said Colleen Bailey, MJF Executive Director. “TSU has a deep history of producing jazz artists, some of whom have played on the stages of our festival, an incredible jazz program, and they have the #1 student-run jazz radio station. They are the perfect partner for this new initiative that we envision will be a model that we will test and perhaps expand more broadly in the future.”
“Texas Southern University has a long history of educating, training, and employing legendary jazz artists,” said TSU President Dr. Austin Lane. “Our award-winning public radio station, KTSU, has been a launching pad for some incredible jazz talent. By partnering with the Monterey Jazz Festival, we are joining with a national brand—one that adds to our already rich legacy, and one that can help propel more young artists into this dynamic music genre.”
“TSU has, in many ways, been the cradle of jazz music for not only the city of Houston, but for the entire region,” said Ernest Walker, general manager of Texas Southern University’s KTSU radio station. “Likewise, the Monterey Jazz Festival is a recognized leader in the promotion and advancement of jazz music at a national and international level. We are proud to serve as a partner for this exciting mission.”
The partnership continues October 24-26, 2019 with a three-day intensive music symposium, Monterey Jazz @ TSU, and is offered by TSU’s Music Department for all greater Houston-based middle and high school music programs, and the community.
Led by TSU faculty from the music, communications and music industry degree programs and featuring the 2019 MJF Artist-in-Residence, Derrick Hodge, the symposium will include master classes, panel discussions, recording sessions, workshops and more. The symposium will provide students the opportunity to network with professionals and peers, learn insider secrets in the music industry, spark lifelong collaborations, build foundations for a career in the music industry, and prepare students to audition for the Monterey Jazz Festival’s national bands and combos, which tour nationally and internationally.
In addition, students from Houston-based high schools will have the opportunity to audition for the inauguralMJF@Houston All-Star Ensemble. The conglomerate group will then have the opportunity to perform at MJF’s 50th Next Generation Jazz Festival, which takes place April 3-5, 2020 in Monterey, and at the 63rd Monterey Jazz Festival, September 25-27, 2020.
On October 27 at 6pm, the free event Jazz On The Hill will be presented by the City of Houston and Mayor Sylvester Turner at the Miller Outdoor Theatre in Herman Park in Houston. Featured will be the Monterey Jazz @ TSU High School All-Stars with special guests and GRAMMY® winning artists, including Derrick Hodge; salsa and GRAMMY® winning artists, including Derrick Hodge; salsa legend and conguero Poncho Sanchez; and saxophonist Kirk Whalum.
For more information about the Monterey Jazz @ TSU program in October, click here.
ABOUT TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
Texas Southern University (TSU) honors our designation as a special-purpose institution for urban programming and research. TSU is a comprehensive university providing higher education access to the nation’s underserved communities. TSU’s academic and research programs address critical urban issues, and prepares its diverse student population to become a force for positive change in a global society. TSU offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs and concentrations – bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and professional degrees – organized into 10 colleges and schools on a 150-acre campus nestled in the heart of Houston’s historic Third Ward. The University’s enrollment has a population of more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate-school academic candidates. Texas Southern has been a distinguished educational pioneer since 1927, and the University has become one of the most diverse and respected institutions in Texas. TSU has positioned itself as a proactive leader in educating underserved students and many who are the first in their family to attend college.
ABOUT MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL
The mission of Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF) is to inspire the discovery and celebration of jazz, anchored by an iconic festival. Founded in 1958, MJF envisions a sustainable organization that sets the standard of excellence for jazz, connects a diverse community, and helps people appreciate and learn about jazz as fans and performers.