Savannah Music Festival Calls High School Jazz Bands Countrywide to Enter Swing Central 2008 for Cash Awards

The 2008 Savannah Music Festival (SMF) brings the launch of an ambitious effort: SWING CENTRAL High School Jazz Band Competition and Workshop. After two successful years of bringing regional high school jazz band musicians together with renowned jazz artists and educators, SMF is fusing its high-quality workshop and mentorship program with a new national jazz band competition. The SWING CENTRAL application process is open to bands from across the country.

CALL FOR ENTRY DETAILS FOR SWING CENTRAL 2008: APRIL 3rd through 5th

• Entries must be received by December 14, 2007. All high school jazz bands are eligible.

• Top three bands will receive cash awards ($5,000, $2,500 and $1,000) and will perform in a Savannah Music Festival concert, opening for headlining jazz artists

• Each selected band will receive an in-school workshop with one of our clinicians in advance of the competition and a $500 stipend (unless other prize money is awarded)

• A panel of music experts will select the twelve best-sounding bands listening for sound/intonation, rhythmic precision/articulation, jazz conception, soloists, rhythm section and repertoire/arrangements

• Improvisation, breakout instrumental and performance clinics with the world's finest jazz educators including Marcus Roberts, Wycliffe Gordon, James Ketch, Roland Guerin, Jason Marsalis and others to be announced

• Bands will rehearse and perform a special big band arrangement commissioned especially for the SMF Workshop & Competition by a renowned jazz composer

• Workshop events located at Savannah Civic Center in historic downtown Savannah

• Each band will perform an outdoor concert in Savannah's City Market

About the Savannah Music Festival
The Savannah Music Festival (SMF) is Georgia's largest musical arts festival and one of the most distinctive cross-genre music festivals in the world. SMF is building a robust history on its devotion to living, vibrant musical traditions, regularly producing premieres, commissioned works and rare regional appearances by renowned artists in jazz, classical, blues, bluegrass, gospel and other genres of American and international roots music. Artists collaborate, students and master musicians intermingle, vocalists showcase their talents and communities uplift and celebrate over eighteen specially conceived days and nights. The 2008 festival runs from March 20 through April 5, including nearly 100 performances in intimate venues throughout the historic district of Savannah.