The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop has announced that its 35th annual summer showcase will be held on June 5 this year.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled for 7:30 pm at The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater in Manhattan at 10 W 64th St. It aims to showcase the best big band and jazz orchestra compositions that have been produced in the workshop throughout the year.
The performances will feature the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra, a 17-piece modern repertory ensemble made up of leading New York musicians, performing eight new compositions that have been developed this season. The annual Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize and Manny Album Commission will be awarded to one of these new works. Additionally, the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop will also feature a new commission from last year’s prize winner, Joseph Herbst.
The orchestra will be led by Musical Director Andy Farber, who returns for his eighth year, alongside Assistant Musical Director and three-time GRAMMY-nominee Alan Ferber. Farber teaches jazz composition and arranging at The Juilliard School in New York and has written arrangements for legendary artists including Shirley Horn and Jon Hendricks, as well as symphony orchestras including the Boston Pops Orchestra.
Ferber currently teaches composition and arranging at NYU and Montclair State University and directs the NYU Jazz Orchestra. He’s an award-winning trombonist, a multi GRAMMY-nominated composer/arranger and a band leader with nine recordings under his name. As a recording artist, he’s played on over 150 albums, and has collaborated with a broad range of artists that includes Esperanza Spalding, Miguel Zenon, Paul Simon, Sufjan Stevens, and Dr. Dre.
BMI is delighted to announce the return of the Jazz Composers Workshop Summer Showcase, partnering once more with our exceptional directors Andy and Alan. Each year, we eagerly anticipate gathering to enjoy the extraordinary compositions crafted throughout the year and to honor another deserving recipient of the Charlie Parker Prize.
~ Patrick Cook, BMI Senior Director of Jazz & Musical Theatre
The 25th Annual Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize will be awarded to the writer of the best new work composed in this year’s BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, determined by three judges: David Berger, Don Braden and John Fedchock. This year’s winning composer will also receive the Manny Albam Commission, named in memory of the Workshop’s co-founder and longtime musical director, to compose a new piece for the 2025 showcase.
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