THE PHILLY POPS AND KIMMEL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS PRESENT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA’S 2019 ALL-CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL

Apr 3, 2019

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Philadelphia, PA (April 3, 2019) — The Philly POPS and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts will present the School District of Philadelphia’s All-City Jazz Festival. The day of free jazz performances by student and professional musicians will be held in the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater and Commonwealth Plaza on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 from noon – 9 p.m. This will be the POPS’s fifth year presenting this event and the third year in partnership with the Kimmel Center.

Throughout the day, a variety of student jazz programs, including from POPS in Schools, will take the stage. Professional POPS musicians will accompany students in the music-making and will lead master classes in vocals, percussion, trumpet, guitar, and more. Guest artists Alita Moses and Leo Manzari return from this season’s JAZZED! and Uptown Nights performances to present master classes.

“This All-City Jazz Festival is an especially important one for the POPS—it’s POPS in Schools’ fifth anniversary, and it falls in the POPS’ 40th Anniversary Season,” said Frank Giordano, President and CEO of The Philly POPS. “Our POPS in Schools program provides the next generation of Philadelphia musicians with the tools and experience they need for a lifetime of music appreciation and for a career in the field. The festival celebrates Philly’s wonderful tradition of jazz, and we’re grateful for the work of our partner, the Kimmel Center, in making this day memorable for students, educators, and parents.”

“We are thrilled to partner with one of our Kimmel Center Resident Companies, The Philly POPS, to foster jazz education and fill our various performance spaces with free music for the public,” said Ed Cambron, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. “Our Cultural Campus is home to jazz stepping-stone programs for young people from kindergarten all the way through high school; All-City is one more touchpoint to spark passion in these musicians from across the greater Philadelphia region.”

Philadelphia students at the All-City Jazz Festival will also interact with great artists from The Philly POPS’s jazz series, including Alita Moses, Leo Manzari, and Terell Stafford, Artistic Director for Jazz for The Philly POPS and Director of the School District’s All-City Jazz Orchestra.

“The All-City Jazz Festival is a highlight of my year—I love seeing the passion and excitement of these students as they pursue their own journeys in jazz,” said Terell Stafford, Artistic Director for Jazz for The Philly POPS and Director of Jazz Studies and Chair of Instrumental Studies in the Boyer College of Music at Temple.

Students, parents, and the public will be invited to attend the day and evening performances. The 7 p.m. performance is a free, ticketed event with General Admission seating. Students and families should contact their school's music department to reserve tickets. Select tickets are available through sign-up here. For all other ticket inquiries, please visit the Kimmel Center Box Office.

Performance Schedule:

12:00pm-12:45pm – Temple University Jazz Band performance

Terell Stafford, director

Location: Commonwealth Plaza Stage

Open to the Public

1:00pm-1:45pm – Masterclass Session I

Terell Stafford, trumpet

Ron Kerber, woodwinds

Kevin Hanson and Steve Beskrone, guitar and bass

Location: Breakout Spaces

Open to the Public, Students Open to Perform

2:00pm-2:45pm – University of the Arts “Z” Big Band performance