Eastman School of Music is excited to host its inaugural “Sisters in Jazz” weekend on September 20 and 21, 2024. With support from Eastman’s George Walker Center for Equity and Inclusion, this two-day event — including concerts and workshops with world-renowned faculty and guests — is designed by and for female jazz musicians. Kicking off the weekend is one of jazz’s most vibrant emerging artists: bassist and composer Endea Owens (and The Cookout) will perform on Friday, September 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Kilbourn Hall. On Saturday, September 21 from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., young women musicians are encouraged to join Eastman jazz faculty members Christine Jensen, saxophone, and Sara Gazarek, voice, along with guest artists Melissa Gardiner, trombone, and Alyssa Falk-Verheyn, drums, for a day of workshops and performances. That same evening Brandee Younger, who “has almost single-handedly made a persuasive argument for the harp’s role in contemporary jazz…” (The New York Times), will perform with her trio at 7:30 p.m. in Kilbourn Hall. Both evening concerts are ticketed and the daytime workshops are free but require advance registration.
“I am so excited to share a beautiful weekend filled with the joyous notes of jazz with young women musicians from the Rochester region,” shares Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media Christine Jensen. She looks forward to Saturday’s events and “engaging in a range of activities, including hands-on improvisation workshops, networking opportunities- and the sharing of sounds and stories from our guest artists in concert.”
The significance of a weekend like this cannot be overstated. Young female instrumentalists represent roughly half of all musicians participating in middle school jazz education, but by the time they graduate from high school women typically populate less than one-third of secondary jazz education programs (with an even smaller percentage attending the top music schools in the country). By empowering young women to pursue the art of jazz performance in a non-judgmental environment, the hope is to encourage them to take more risks with their instruments. As Jensen points out, “improvisation skills are critical to progressing in jazz studies,” and she looks forward to “connecting with young musicians through the art of spontaneity and jazz.”
Learn more about studying Jazz and Contemporary Media at Eastman by visiting our website
For 20% off tickets to the Endea Owens and Brandee Younger concerts, use code SISJAZDAY at checkout. Prior sales excluded. Not combinable. Limit of 4. Tickets to all Eastman Presents concerts are on sale now and can be purchased online, in person at the Eastman Theatre Box Office (located at 433 East Main Street; hours: M-F 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.) or by calling 585-274-3000.
Media only: Lauren Sageer, Assistant Director of Public Relations and Digital Content, (585) 451-8492, lsageer@esm.rochester.edu
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About Eastman School of Music:
The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman (1854–1932), founder of Eastman Kodak Company. It was the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Mr. Eastman’s dream was that his school would provide a broad education in the liberal arts as well as superb musical training.
More than 900 students are enrolled in the Collegiate Division of the Eastman School of Music—about 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. They come from almost every state, and approximately 23 percent are from other countries. They are taught by a faculty comprised of more than 130 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars, and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, Grammy winners, Emmy winners, Guggenheim fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, published authors, recording artists, and acclaimed musicians who have performed in the world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members, and guest artists present more than 900 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, more than 1,700 members of the Rochester community, from young children through senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.
About the University of Rochester:
The University of Rochester is one of the nation’s leading private research universities, one of only 62-member institutions in the Association of American Universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives undergraduates exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.
