| What: NYO Jazz, Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra South Africa Tour 2024 Where: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban Dates: July 26 -28: The Market Theatre, JHB; August 1: The Playhouse, DBN; August 2 & 3: Artscape, CPT Info and booking here: https://bit.ly/m/NYOJ-SA-Tour Presented by Carnegie Hall in association with the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, The Playhouse in Durban and Artscape in Cape Town Tour produced by Arte Viva Management Click here to view the NYO Jazz South Africa tour video trailer |
Exciting news is the South Africa 2024 tour of NYO Jazz, Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra: Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Sean Jones is artistic director, bandleader and on trumpet. Special guest is Alicia Olatuja on vocals. Booking for whole tour here: https://bit.ly/m/NYOJ-SA-Tour Read on for more. Info as supplied:
NYO Jazz, Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra on tour South Africa 2024
For the very first time in Africa, hear the brand-new lineup of NYO Jazz as they perform under the leadership of trumpet great Sean Jones. This remarkable ensemble, created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in 2018, annually brings together some of the most outstanding teen jazz musicians from across the United States, following a comprehensive and highly competitive audition process, to train, perform, and tour with some of the world’s greatest artists while also serving as music ambassadors to audiences around the globe. This season, NYO Jazz welcomes guest vocalist Alicia Olatuja, who has been praised by The New York Times as “a singer with a strong and luscious tone”.
The South African guest artists announced to join NYO Jazz on stage represent some of the country’s finest talent: saxophonist Linda Sikhakhane and bassist Romy Brauteseth in Johannesburg; pianist Afrika Mkhize, as well as the Shine Jazz Ensemble, directed by Dr. Natalie Rungan, showcasing musicians from the top 10 school music ensembles from the KwaZulu-Natal province, as the opening act in Durban; and trumpeter Muneeb Hermans in Cape Town.
For NYO Jazz’s 2024 concerts, Carnegie Hall has commissioned a new work, titled ISIGQI SUITE, by South African composer Sibusiso Mash Mashiloane which he noted “showcases the essence of South African jazz and the profound emotional connection to our collective musical heritage.” The ensemble’s diverse program will also include big band classics by Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and Mary Lou Williams; a new big band arrangement from Terri Lyne Carrington’s project “New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers”, Lakecia Benjamin’s “Trane,” arranged by Jhoely Garay; and other contemporary pieces, showcasing jazz as a living and limitless art form.
NYO Jazz’s historic visit to South Africa will include debut performances in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, and marks the first time that one of Carnegie Hall’s three acclaimed national youth ensembles will perform on the African continent. It follows successful international tours by NYO Jazz to some of the most prestigious concert halls and music festivals across Europe, Asia, and the United States.
“The group… performs at a level of musicianship far beyond their years.” – Washington Informer
“You could be pretty confident you were hearing some stars of tomorrow” – The Times, UK
Click here to view the NYO Jazz South Africa tour video trailer.
Tickets available from Webtickets.
Presented by Carnegie Hall in association with the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, The Playhouse in Durban and Artscape in Cape Town.
Tour produced by Arte Viva Management.
| NYO Jazz, Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra on social media To learn more about NYO Jazz, visit carnegiehall.org/NYOJazz Like NYO Jazz on Facebook Follow NYO Jazz on Instagram Follow on X at #NYOJazz See more on YouTube About NYO Jazz Each US summer, NYO Jazz, led by artistic director Sean Jones, shines a spotlight on the depth of talent found among teen jazz players across the United States. The programme offers talented young musicians, ages 16–19, the opportunity to perform as cultural ambassadors for their country, sharing a uniquely American musical genre with people around the world through an international tour. The members of NYO Jazz have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest jazz musicians in the country, following a rigorous and highly competitive audition process. Since its debut in 2018, NYO Jazz has performed at Carnegie Hall and embarked on acclaimed tours across Europe, Asia, and the United States. Guest artists in past seasons have included vocalists Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Jazzmeia Horn, and Dee Bridgewater. As part of their travel schedule, NYO Jazz musicians also have opportunities to meet and collaborate with young local musicians and experience the richness of different cultures and music. In 2021, during NYO Jazz’s annual training residency at Purchase College, State University of New York, the band recorded its first full length studio album under the direction of artistic director and bandleader Sean Jones and featuring special guest saxophonist Melissa Aldana. It includes Carnegie Hall-commissioned works for the ensemble from each year of the program exploring themes including social justice, resilience, and the power of music to spark joy. The album, entitled We’re Still Here, was released in June 2022. NYO Jazz builds on the success of the acclaimed National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) and its sister ensemble for younger musicians NYO2—created by Carnegie Hall in 2013 and 2016, respectively—to bring together the finest young classical musicians from across the country each summer for training, performances and touring. Each of these prestigious national programmes—free to all participants—is dedicated to the proposition that talented young musicians thrive when they have the opportunity to expand their musical, social, and cultural horizons and share their artistry with audiences around the globe. |
✳ Sponsored content. Featured image of NYO Jazz by Todd Rosenberg. Supplied.
