ABOVE PHOTO: Shamika Byrd
New work by Korey Riker and a collaboration between Kendrah Butler and Shamika Byrd will both premiere June 2016
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts has announced the 2015–16 Season Jazz Residency Artists; individuals whose involvement in this prestigious program will result in World Premieres in June 2016 at the Kimmel Center’s SEI Innovation Studio. An esteemed panel of jazz experts reviewed 25 project applications and selected the following artists for this season’s residency: Kendrah Butler, composer and musician, and collaborating vocalist Shamika Byrd will present a project that will acknowledge the presence of Jazz and Faith of the African American experience, and Korey Riker, composer and producer, will write a collection of Jazz songs inspired by the Drum and Bass genre of EDM.
Kendrah Butler
“The Jazz Residency program demonstrates our commitment to nurturing jazz in our community and positioning Philadelphia as a hub for the continued revitalization of this timeless genre,” said Anne Ewers, President and CEO of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. “We are cultivating emerging pioneers in jazz by providing the time, resources and encouragement necessary to succeed.”
The distinguished panel of jazz experts who gathered in Philadelphia to help choose the residency artists included Kevin Struthers, Director of Jazz Programming at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.; Todd Stoll, Vice President of Education at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City; Eric Gould, Chair of Jazz Composition, Berklee College of Music in Boston; Aaron Flagg, Chair & Associate Director of Juilliard Jazz in New York City; and Jay Wahl, Artistic Director of the Kimmel Center of the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. Audience members will have the opportunity to observe the composition process for these works from public workshops and performances of the works while in progress, to their World Premieres in June 2016.
Tickets
The public workshops and work-in-progress performances are free ticketed events, and tickets for the World Premiere performances are $15. More information about tickets is available at www.kimmelcenter.org/jazzresidency.
The schedule of performances is as follows:
Public Workshops – Free tickets available
SEI Innovation Studio
Wednesday, March 2, 2016, 6:00 p.m. – Korey Riker
Friday, March 11, 2016, 6:00 p.m. – Kendrah Butler & Shamika Byrd
Work-in-Progress Performances – Free tickets available
SEI Innovation Studio
Monday, May 9, 2016, 8:00 p.m. – Korey Riker
Saturday, May 14, 2016, 8:00 p.m. – Kendrah Butler & Shamika Byrd
World Premiere Performances – Tickets available for $15
SEI Innovation Studio
Friday, June 10, 2016, 8:00 p.m. – Korey Riker World Premiere
Saturday, June 11, 2016, 8:00 p.m. – Kendrah Butler & Shamika Byrd World Premiere
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