American Pianists Association's Jazz Fellowship Awards -
Semi-Finals on Friday, March 27
Finals on Saturday, March 28
Competition to be Judged by Amina Figarova,
Bill Charlap, Edward Simon, Billy Childs and Al Pryor
with Emcee Christian McBride & Guest Vocalist Dianne Reeves
Bill Charlap, Edward Simon, Billy Childs and Al Pryor
with Emcee Christian McBride & Guest Vocalist Dianne Reeves
NBC News Anchor Lester Holt Named Honorary Chair
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(from left to right): Christian Sands, Zach Lapidus, Emmet Cohen, Kris Bowers, and Sullivan Fortner |
On Friday, March 27, the American Pianists Association's Jazz Fellowship Awards presented by REI Real Estate Services Semi-Finals presented by Barnes & Thornburg will take place at The Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis, IN featuring each of the 5 Finalists over two sets. The five Finalists, in no particular order, are: Christian Sands, Zach Lapidus, Emmet Cohen, Kris Bowers, and Sullivan Fortner.
On Saturday, March 28 the Finals presented by Ice Miller will take place at Hilbert Circle Theatre with each Finalist performing with five-time Grammy® Award-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves and the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra. The Finals will be judged by pianists Amina Figarova, Bill Charlap, Edward Simon, and Billy Childs as well as Mack Avenue Records Executive VP of A&R Al Pryor. The Finals will be streamed live featuring webcast host Christian McBride at www.americanpianists.org/live. The winner will be named the American Pianists Association's Cole Porter Fellow in Jazz.
The
Cole Porter Fellowship, valued at $100,000, includes a $50,000 cash
prize (the largest prize in the world for a young jazz pianist), a
recording contract with Mack Avenue Records, and career assistance and
engagement for two years.
The
Mission of the American Pianists Association is to advance the careers
of American jazz and classical pianists between the ages of 18 - 30. The
Organization was founded in 1979 in New York City and has been in
Indianapolis since 1982. Past winners have included Aaron Diehl, Dan
Tepfer and Aaron Parks, among esteemed others.
For more information on the American Pianists Association, please visit: AmericanPianists.org
Planning on posting to social media about the American Pianists Association's
Jazz Fellowship Awards? Please use the following hashtag: #apajazz2015
For media information, please contact:
DL Media · (610) 667-0501
Matthew Jurasek · matthew@dlmediamusic.com
Don Lucoff · don@dlmediamusic.com
American Pianists Association · (317) 940-9945
Joel Harrison · joel@americanpianists.org
Bridget Jacoby · bridget@americanpianists.org
The
American Pianists Association is supported by REI Real Estate Services,
the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the City of Indianapolis, Allen
Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, Lilly Endowment, Eli Lilly and
Company Foundation, Christel DeHaan Family Foundation in honor of the
children and families of Christel House, the Arts Council of
Indianapolis, the Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency, and the
National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency and in part by an
award from the National Endowment for the Arts, among others.
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