Guildford Jazz ‘s  three day music festival runs from March 20-22 at Guildford’s Electric Theatre and features a wide spectrum of jazz, funk and latin grooves. 

The festival opens on Friday 20th March with a celebration of local young jazz talent  and a concert by Surrey Young Jazz Musicians of the Year.  Tickets for this event are only £8 for adults and free for young people aged 16 or under.  

The festival is a first for Guildford Jazz,  which has been arranging regular sell out monthly jazz gigs since 2011 . Its founder,  local bass player Marianne Windham comments: ”The festival represents a celebration of all that Guildford Jazz is about: bringing the finest UK jazz musicians to Guildford to play a wide spectrum of accessible music in a friendly club  like atmosphere. There is something for everyone in the programme whether you are just looking for great live music or are a committed jazzer”.  

All profits from the festival go to local charity Guildford Philanthropy which helps local residents disadvantaged by disability, mental health issues, poor education or caring responsibilities. 

The festival represents an excellent opportunity to inspire young people to develop their musical talents by experiencing the finest live jazz.  

Headlining the festival will be ECM recording artist and internationally recognised saxophonist and composer Iain Ballamy. 

Other major artists  appearing at JazzFest ’20 include: 

• The renowned trombonist Dennis Rollins and his Velocity Trio: a  simmering jazz, funk and world music roller coaster 
• The Mark Nightingale/Alan Barnes/Steve Waterman Sextet playing a tribute to the music of Henry Mancini including Clark Tracey on drums
• Virtuoso guitarist Nicolas Meier World Group,  one of the rising stars in a vibrant British jazz scene and “an unconditional must for connoisseurs of Jazz-World Fusion” (Adam Baruch)
• Latin Jazz Salsa band Heads South featuring Steve Waterman, combining Cuban and other Latin Rhythms   
• Award winning pianist David Newton playing duos alongside jazz impresario Alan Barnes  
• Renowned jazz vocalist and pianist Pete Churchill 
• Gareth Williams, one of the country’s leading modern jazz pianists, featuring in both the Sextet and as a live accompanist to the 1929 Buster Keaton classic,  Steamboat Bill Jr.

Alongside sets from leading UK jazz artists,  the festival features: 

• a talk organised in conjunction with West Surrey Arts Society on the early history of jazz by from broadcaster and bass player Sandy Burnett which might be of particular interest to those doing GCSE music 
• A New Orleans Dixie Jazz lunch from clarinet maestro Duncan Batchelor and his quartet
• a number of community events including a jazz vocal workshop 

More details about the festival can be found on the web at  https://guildfordjazz.org.uk/guildford-jazz-fest-20/ 

Booking for individual gigs and day and weekend festival passes  is now open through the Electric Theatre Box Office athttps://electric.theatre/

More information about Guildford Jazz , who run two regular gigs a month featuring national jazz artists at the Electric Theatre and Guildford Rugby Club at Broadwater, can be found at its web site at https://guildfordjazz.org.uk.

The Surrey based I Speak Music Community Orchestra are thrilled to have been invited to perform at the Singing Our Lives concert at London’s Union Chapel. The iconic venue opens its doors for this special night of music on Sunday 26 January 2020.

This special night of music features hundreds of performers onstage to celebrate the power of uniting with one another through music and song. This evening is the culmination of the ground breaking Singing Our Lives project, which has brought together people from local UK, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds to co-create and perform new music together.

Hosted by Jumoké Fashola, the concert brings together members of the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians, the Sing for Freedom Choir, the Mixed up Chorus, the Royal Opera House Thurrock Community Chorus, the Mind & Soul Choir, the Citizens of the World Choir, I Speak Music Community Orchestra, and special guests.

Jim Pinchen, Project Manager of the I Speak Music Community Orchestra said “Singing Our Lives has been an inspirational project for our Orchestra to be part of. It has provided a unique opportunity for local residents and residents who have recently been displaced from their country of birth to share music, food, culture and to form new and lasting friendships. In showcasing our work alongside other groups on 26 January it allows often marginalised voices to be heard as they unite with one another.”

Singing our Lives is performed by Together Productions in partnership with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, The International Organization for Migration, the Royal Opera House and Kinetika.

I Speak Music Community Orchestra welcomes people from any background who are aged 14+ to join the group designed to celebrate Surrey’s diverse communities, bringing participants together to take part in creative music workshops and events.

SAVE THE DATE: 3^RD APRIL, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL HQ, LONDON

I SPEAK MUSIC CONNECTS –  A NETWORKING EVENT FOR PROFESSIONALS

For more information and to book tickets for Singing Our Lives visit – https://www.unionchapel.org.uk/event/26-01-2020-singing-our-lives/

If you are interested in finding out more about the I Speak Music Community Orchestra email mona4youthmusic@gmail.com

I Speak Music is supported by Surrey Arts and Surrey Music Hub and is funded by Arts Council England.

This March, Surrey Arts are holding performance workshops for students who are taking piano exams this term.

Students will have the opportunity to play two of their exam pieces to the group as well as evaluate each other’s performances. We’ll be playing various musical games all intended to build confidence when performing, as well as discussing strategies to overcome nerves.

£15 per student
1.00 – 3.00pm
Sunday 1 or 8 March 2020

To book your place please register online.

For further information please contact miriam.hepburn@surreycc.gov.uk

Surrey Arts and the Cheryl King (Hirst) Trust is delighted to partner with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) in the delivery of an exciting opportunity for schools in the county. NYJO will be visiting around 12 local schools (both primary and secondary) in March 2020, for a series of performances and workshops designed to introduce children and young people to jazz and improvisation, inspire them to take up instruments and grow the confidence of young musicians. In these sessions, NYJO musicians will work with your students to lift the lid on jazz –addressing the fundamentals such as groove, playing by ear and improvisation. In both primaries and secondaries the performance or workshop will be tailored to your group. The workshops are being planned for the week commencing 23 March 2020

• One half-day afternoon workshop in school led by a NYJO Associate Educator, with vast experience of delivering jazz workshops, supported by five NYJO Ambassadors (young members of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra who are receiving training in workshop leading);   
• NYJO workshops are designed to cater for young musicians across the whole range of technical levels and experience and should enhance musical understanding in general as well as improve specific jazz knowledge. 
• NYJO will discuss and work with individual schools to tailor a bespoke workshop according to the technical level and experience of the young people taking part;    
• For up to 30 students.

• A performance / presentation by the NYJO Associate Educator and the NYJO Ambassadors as a sextet  
• For large groups (e.g. in the school hall / performance theatre)  
• These sessions will take the form of an interactive concert, getting the whole class grooving.  
• The aim is to introduce children to jazz and hopefully inspire them to take up instruments either in primary or secondary school  
• Primary performances will take place in the morning.

• Please note : – NYJO visiting musicians can provide all the equipment they require. – There is support from NYJO available if you are developing or setting up an improvising ensemble within your school. 
• Surrey Arts will work with your school to help ensure that children inspired by NYJO can take up relevant instruments and receive appropriate tuition

• Provide an enthusiastic audience and suitable group(s) of young musicians to take part. 
• Provide equipment to enable your young musicians to participate (if applicable). 
• Pay a modest fee of £ 50 for the primary school performances and
• £150 for the secondary school workshops   
• Respond to subsequent evaluation surveys 
• Signpost participants towards instrument lessons and local jazz activities and educational opportunities

Next steps If you would like to take part, please contact Alex Bondonno by email on alex.bondonno@surreycc.gov.uk before 17 January. Please indicate any times in the week of 23 March that would not work for your school. (but please be as flexible as possible to aid programming) If you would like to take part but cannot make the week of 23 March, We would still like to hear from you.

Surrey Arts singing ensemble for 4 – 8 years olds, Singing Bugs, is moving to Woking Library from Saturday 9 November. The move from Woking Youth Arts Centre in Knaphill where Surrey Arts teach many music lessons including violin, guitar, clarinet and piano, is a great opportunity to develop music in the centre of Woking with the library.

The ensemble uses singing rhymes and musical games so children become aware of pitch, pulse, rhythm, volume and speed. Children learn the musical skills of listening, singing in tune and inner hearing while having fun and making friends. Classes use resources from the Jolly Music syllabus which is based on the principles of Hungarian teacher and composer Kodaly.

The ensemble takes place on Saturday mornings during term time Junior Bugs, 9.40 – 10.20am for 4 – 6 year olds and Senior Bugs, 9.40 – 10.40am for 7 – 8 year olds. The first term is free and £66 thereafter.

To join Singing Bugs please email surreyartsmusic@surreycc.gov.uk.

Educational not-for-profit organisation, Musical Futures is working with family run musical instrument retailer Andertons Music Co. to support Surrey Music Hub with a new music project that will aid more young people in Surrey to learn the guitar. 

Fran Hannan, Managing Director of Musical Futures said, “We are delighted to have been able to connect Surrey Arts with Andertons Music Co to facilitate a generous donation of electric guitars to support the new guitar programme at Surrey Arts.  We hope that that the instruments, coupled with our Musical Futures interactive resources for guitar, will help more children to enjoy making music together.”

Surrey Arts Head of Service, Sarah Lee said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for young people in Surrey to experience learning the guitar. We are delighted to be working with Andertons Music Co. and Musical Futures to provide the resources for high quality learning across the county.”

Jack Cooper, Digital Manager for Andertons Music Co. said “We’ve always tried to positively impact those close to home, helping to make music more accessible where possible.”