New for 2017! Festival organizers and the Telluride Society for Jazz have partnered with the Telluride Academy and Caleb Chapman's Soundhouse to introduce a new, week-long music education and outdoor adventure academy for students on July 31 – August 4, 2017. The Telluride Jazz Adventure Academy provides students the opportunity to learn new skills, collaborate with peers, perform on stage during the Festival and adventure outdoors at the height of summer in the stunning San Juan Mountains.
Students will spend their mornings with world-renowned music-educator Caleb Chapman and his team studying and rehearsing music followed by unique, outdoor adventures including stand-up paddle boarding, hiking, and rock climbing with Telluride Academy guides in the afternoon. The week concludes with a student performance on the Free Stage in Elks Park and attendance to the 41st Annual Telluride Jazz Festival. For more information or to register for the Academy, click below.
Telluride Student All-Star Jazz Ensemble
Adding to the mix of educational programs, applications are now open for the Festival’s flagship educational scholarship program, the Telluride Student All-Star Jazz Ensemble. Through the program, an elite group of student musicians will travel to Telluride the week preceding the festival to work on compositions and study music together with program directors Professors Bob Montgomery and Josh Quinlan. The All-Stars group will perform at venues around Telluride from July 31 - August 3 and are then rewarded with a festival opening performance on the Town Park Main Stage. The purpose of the All-Stars program is to inspire and guide young musicians who are poised to pursue their education in jazz and are at the level to begin their professional careers. Education, room and board is provided free of charge upon acceptance to the program. The only cost to the students is transportation to and from Telluride. Auditions must be submitted before June 19, 2017. Auditions can be submitted online or by mail. Click below for more!
Free Stage at Elks Park
Returning to the 2017 Festival is the Free Stage at Elks Park. Located in the heart of historic downtown Telluride, the grassy outdoor amphitheater will host a series of free artist workshops and performances by student bands throughout the festival weekend. Artist workshops give attendees and locals a chance to interact with festival artists while learning about jazz culture, history and methods. Student band performances include an eclectic lineup of regional ensembles and tomorrow's superstars. The Voodoo Orchestra, Telluride Student All-Star Jazz Ensemble, Stillwater All-Stars, Soul Research Foundation, Hooligan Brass Band, The Inevitables, and the Telluride Jazz Academy Band are all slated to perform. Details about the artist workshops along with the full festival schedule will be released later this spring.
To learn more about the student education mission of the Telluride Jazz Festival, click here.