The Jazz Arts Group of Columbus (JAG) announces exciting personnel changes in its Jazz Academy Youth Jazz programs.
Todd A. Stoll, founder and artistic director for Jazz Arts Group's Youth Jazz programs has announced his acceptance of the position of Director of Education for Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC. JAG congratulates Stoll on this exciting opportunity and has been working directly with Stoll to identify faculty for its Youth Jazz program, which consists of three ensembles: The Columbus Youth Jazz Workshop (CYJW), the Columbus Youth Jazz Studio Ensemble (CYJSE) and the Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra (CYJO).
Stoll states of the program, “My years with the CYJO have been some of the most rewarding, enlightening, and exhilarating of my life. Participating in the process of young people awakening to and taking ownership of some of the most important aspects of our culture has been a humbling and distinct privilege. My ultimate desire is that they have garnered a fraction of the knowledge from me, as I have from them. I look forward to keeping in touch over the ensuing years and hearing even more great things!"
Replacing Stoll as artistic director and director for the orchestra and studio ensemble is Mark Donavan. Stoll states, “Mark Donovan is the consummate jazz educator who brings a wealth of both pedagogical and performance based experience to the CYJO. I have been associated with Mark for over fifteen years as a gifted performer and then as a valued teaching colleague. His extensive knowledge of jazz literature, history, and theory is unparalleled among our educational community. I am thrilled to have him taking the reins and look forward to new heights of success under his leadership."
Mark Donavan's broad classroom teaching background and extensive performance resume creates an environment that brings the best out of the young musicians with whom he works. He has launched two central Ohio youth jazz bands: JAG's Columbus Youth Jazz Workshop and the Columbus City Schools Jazz All-Stars. Both groups have brought together students from a variety of backgrounds and have inspired young people to study music in college and to play professionally. Donavan performs in the central Ohio area as a saxophonist and pianist and has appeared on stage with many regional and national acts. His professional writing credits include the Columbus City School district's music curriculum and a jazz survey course for online learning. Currently the instrumental music director at Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School, Donavan serves as the site coordinator for Berklee College of Music's City Music Network.
Assisting Donavan as director for the Columbus Youth Jazz Workshop will be Ryan Hamilton. Hamilton is a versatile trombonist and educator. His training began in fourth grade in Liverpool, New York and continued through high school in Columbus under the tutelage of Kie Watkins and Vaughn Wiester. He was a proud member of the Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra during his senior year of high school. While undergoing his collegiate studies, he joined the Glenn Miller Orchestra, playing trombone and singing in the vocal group, The Moonlight Serenaders. Upon finishing a two-year world tour he completed his degree at Capital University where he currently teaches in the jazz studies program.
As an educator, Ryan leads a big band, daily master classes and improvisation classes, and performs in the faculty jazz combo as a faculty member for Music for All's Summer Symposium. He also maintains a large private lesson studio teaching trombone, euphonium, and tuba to students of all ages. His duties at Capital University have included directing jazz combos, teaching the jazz improvisation and jazz audiation classes, and teaching jazz trombone lessons. Previous teaching positions include at Kenyon College and Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
The mission of the Jazz Arts Group is to advance and celebrate the art of jazz through performance and education. The Youth Jazz program fulfills this mission by providing the opportunity for students in grades 7 12 to participate in one of three outstanding learning and performing ensembles. Each ensemble rehearses weekly and offers a variety of performances and other educational activities each season. Auditions for the 2011-12 season will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 17 and 18 at the Jazz Arts Group's Jazz Academy, 769 E. Long Street on the 4th floor of the Lincoln Theatre complex. For additional information, as well as the audition packet, visit www.jazzartsgroup.org.
The Youth Jazz program is funded in part by the Ohio Arts Council, the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Columbus Foundation.
About the Jazz Arts Group:
The Jazz Arts Group of Columbus (JAG) is America's oldest not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to producing, performing and promoting jazz. JAG is the third largest performing arts organization in Columbus and consists of four focus areas: the Columbus Jazz Orchestra (CJO), one of the world's finest professional jazz orchestras; the Jazz Academy, JAG's extensive instructional programs educating both students and adults about jazz and American music; Inside Track, a new jazz and blues performance series produced at the historic Lincoln Theatre; and Affiliate Musicians, a program providing employment opportunities for professional musicians.
Todd A. Stoll, founder and artistic director for Jazz Arts Group's Youth Jazz programs has announced his acceptance of the position of Director of Education for Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC. JAG congratulates Stoll on this exciting opportunity and has been working directly with Stoll to identify faculty for its Youth Jazz program, which consists of three ensembles: The Columbus Youth Jazz Workshop (CYJW), the Columbus Youth Jazz Studio Ensemble (CYJSE) and the Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra (CYJO).
Stoll states of the program, “My years with the CYJO have been some of the most rewarding, enlightening, and exhilarating of my life. Participating in the process of young people awakening to and taking ownership of some of the most important aspects of our culture has been a humbling and distinct privilege. My ultimate desire is that they have garnered a fraction of the knowledge from me, as I have from them. I look forward to keeping in touch over the ensuing years and hearing even more great things!"
Replacing Stoll as artistic director and director for the orchestra and studio ensemble is Mark Donavan. Stoll states, “Mark Donovan is the consummate jazz educator who brings a wealth of both pedagogical and performance based experience to the CYJO. I have been associated with Mark for over fifteen years as a gifted performer and then as a valued teaching colleague. His extensive knowledge of jazz literature, history, and theory is unparalleled among our educational community. I am thrilled to have him taking the reins and look forward to new heights of success under his leadership."
Mark Donavan's broad classroom teaching background and extensive performance resume creates an environment that brings the best out of the young musicians with whom he works. He has launched two central Ohio youth jazz bands: JAG's Columbus Youth Jazz Workshop and the Columbus City Schools Jazz All-Stars. Both groups have brought together students from a variety of backgrounds and have inspired young people to study music in college and to play professionally. Donavan performs in the central Ohio area as a saxophonist and pianist and has appeared on stage with many regional and national acts. His professional writing credits include the Columbus City School district's music curriculum and a jazz survey course for online learning. Currently the instrumental music director at Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School, Donavan serves as the site coordinator for Berklee College of Music's City Music Network.
Assisting Donavan as director for the Columbus Youth Jazz Workshop will be Ryan Hamilton. Hamilton is a versatile trombonist and educator. His training began in fourth grade in Liverpool, New York and continued through high school in Columbus under the tutelage of Kie Watkins and Vaughn Wiester. He was a proud member of the Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra during his senior year of high school. While undergoing his collegiate studies, he joined the Glenn Miller Orchestra, playing trombone and singing in the vocal group, The Moonlight Serenaders. Upon finishing a two-year world tour he completed his degree at Capital University where he currently teaches in the jazz studies program.
As an educator, Ryan leads a big band, daily master classes and improvisation classes, and performs in the faculty jazz combo as a faculty member for Music for All's Summer Symposium. He also maintains a large private lesson studio teaching trombone, euphonium, and tuba to students of all ages. His duties at Capital University have included directing jazz combos, teaching the jazz improvisation and jazz audiation classes, and teaching jazz trombone lessons. Previous teaching positions include at Kenyon College and Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
The mission of the Jazz Arts Group is to advance and celebrate the art of jazz through performance and education. The Youth Jazz program fulfills this mission by providing the opportunity for students in grades 7 12 to participate in one of three outstanding learning and performing ensembles. Each ensemble rehearses weekly and offers a variety of performances and other educational activities each season. Auditions for the 2011-12 season will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 17 and 18 at the Jazz Arts Group's Jazz Academy, 769 E. Long Street on the 4th floor of the Lincoln Theatre complex. For additional information, as well as the audition packet, visit www.jazzartsgroup.org.
The Youth Jazz program is funded in part by the Ohio Arts Council, the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Columbus Foundation.
About the Jazz Arts Group:
The Jazz Arts Group of Columbus (JAG) is America's oldest not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to producing, performing and promoting jazz. JAG is the third largest performing arts organization in Columbus and consists of four focus areas: the Columbus Jazz Orchestra (CJO), one of the world's finest professional jazz orchestras; the Jazz Academy, JAG's extensive instructional programs educating both students and adults about jazz and American music; Inside Track, a new jazz and blues performance series produced at the historic Lincoln Theatre; and Affiliate Musicians, a program providing employment opportunities for professional musicians.
