SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Dec. 4, 2014) — The GRAMMY Foundation® (www.grammyintheschools.com) announced today that 32 talented high school students from across the United States have been selected for positions in the 2015 GRAMMY Camp® — Jazz Session. Their selection launches them into the spotlight surrounding the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards®, and provides them with unparalleled opportunities to perform for some of music's biggest names. The students, representing 31 cities and 13 states, will travel to Los Angeles for a weeklong musical adventure under the direction of Justin DiCioccio of the Manhattan School of Music, Dr. Ron McCurdy of the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and associate choral director Susanna Wegner of Kansas City, Mo. This year, two students will comprise the GRAMMY in the Schools® Media Team, and will document the GRAMMY® Week experience for a range of the GRAMMY Foundation's social media platforms.
"Since 1993, GRAMMY Camp — Jazz Session has been gathering the top high school jazz singers and instrumentalists for an extraordinary GRAMMY Week experience where young people have the opportunity to play with their peers and with GRAMMY-nominated and GRAMMY-winning artists at a range of events," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the GRAMMY Foundation and The Recording Academy®. "When we look back at the students who have participated over the years, it really is the best and the brightest in the genre and this year's group is no exception."
The selected students will perform at various GRAMMY Week events, including — for the sixth year— an appearance at GRAMMY In The Schools Live! — A Celebration Of Music & Education, sponsored by Ford Motor Company Fund and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. Art Works. This special evening, which is open to the public, will showcase the selectees, along with special guest artists, on Feb. 4, 2015, at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. The group will offer more public performances with special guest artists at Spaghettini & the Dave Koz Lounge in Beverly Hills, Calif., and Spaghettini Fine Dining & Entertainment in Seal Beach, Calif., on Feb. 3 and Feb. 5, respectively. GRAMMY Camp — Jazz Session members will also attend the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 8 as guests of The Recording Academy and will perform at the GRAMMY Celebration® after-party.
On Feb. 5–7, the young musicians will again record at the legendary Capitol Studios & Mastering in Hollywood, Calif., courtesy of the EMI Music Group. GRAMMY Camp — Jazz Session albums from 2007–2014 are available for purchase at online music outlets such as Amazon, iTunes and Rhapsody.
The GRAMMY Camp — Jazz Session selectees are eligible for more than $2 million in college scholarships made possible through the GRAMMY Foundation's college partners: Berklee College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and USC Thornton School of Music. In addition, each selectee's school will receive a professional cymbal courtesy of the Zildjian Company.
The 2015 GRAMMY Camp — Jazz Session members are listed by each student's instrument, role or voice:
| Band | |||||
| First Name | Last Name | City | State | School | Part |
| Immanuel | Wilkins | Upper Darby | Pa. | Upper Darby High School | Alto Sax 1 |
| Alex | Laurenzi | Mountain Lakes | N.J. | Mountain Lakes High School | Alto Sax 2 |
| Rico | Jones | Denver | Denver School of the Arts | Tenor Sax | |
| Santosh | Sharma | Seattle | Roosevelt High School | Tenor Sax | |
| Ganiyu | Dauda | Las Vegas | Las Vegas Academy of the Arts | Bari Sax | |
| Jonah | Moss | Walnut Creek | Calif. | Northgate High School | Trumpet Lead |
| Anthony | Hervey | Miramar | Fla. | Dillard Center for the Arts | Trumpet Jazz |
| Evan | Abounassar | Yorba Linda | Calif. | Los Angeles County High School for the Arts | Trumpet 3 |
| John | Bradford | Metairie | La. | NOCCA Academic Studio | Trumpet 4 |
| Javier | Astorga | Fresno | Calif. | Buchanan High School | Trumpet 5 |
| Nick | Lee | Los Angeles | Los Angeles County High School for the Arts | Trombone 1 | |
| Abdulrahman | Amer | Brooklyn | N.Y. | Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts | Trombone 2 |
| Lindsay | Dobbs | San Mateo | Calif. | Aragon High School | Trombone 3 |
| Ethan | Santos | Fresno | Calif. | Buchanan High School | Bass Trombone |
| Chris | Fishman | Hermosa Beach | Calif. | Los Angeles County High School for the Arts | Piano |
| Kanoa | Mendenhall | Novato | Calif. | NOVA Independent Study School | Bass |
| Joshua | Bermudez | Miami | New World School of the Arts | Guitar | |
| Zachary | Adleman | Montclair | N.J. | Montclair High School | Drums |
| Choir | |||||
| First Name | Last Name | City | State | School | Part |
| Alyssa | McDoom | Weston | Fla. | Cypress Bay High School | Soprano |
| Sharada | Shashidhar | Painted Post | N.Y. | Corning-Painted Post High School | Soprano |
| Darynn | Dean | Los Angeles | Mira Costa High School | Alto | |
| Claire | Dickson | Medford | Mass. | Homeschooled | Alto |
| Jared | Freiburg | West Des Moines | Iowa | Valley High School | Tenor |
| Maurice | Johnson | Hempstead | N.Y. | Long Island High School for the Arts | Tenor |
| Derrick | Bynum | West Bloomfield | Mich. | Detroit School of the Arts | Bass |
| Joshua | Reinier | San Francisco | The Nueva School | Bass | |
| Combo | |||||
| First Name | Last Name | City | State | School | Part |
| Isaiah | Thompson | West Orange | N.J. | Montclair Kimberley Academy | Piano |
| Maxwell | Schwartz | Berkeley | Calif. | Berkeley High School | Bass |
| Evan | Wright | Flemington | N.J. | Hunterdon Central Regional High School | Guitar |
| Jared | Silverstein | Hillsborough | N.J. | Hillsborough High School | Drums |
| Media Team | |||||
| First Name | Last Name | City | State | School | Part |
| Angelie | Humbert | Geneva | Ill. | Geneva Community High School | Media Team |
| Angelica | Pollard | San Ramon | Calif | California High School | Media Team |
The GRAMMY Foundation was established in 1988 to cultivate the understanding, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture. The Foundation accomplishes this mission through programs and activities that engage the music industry and cultural community as well as the general public. The Foundation works in partnership year-round with its founder, The Recording Academy, to bring national attention to important issues such as the value and impact of music and arts education and the urgency of preserving our rich cultural heritage. In recognition of the significant role of teachers in shaping their students' musical experiences, the GRAMMY Foundation and The Recording Academy partnered to present their first Music Educator Award in 2014. Open to current U.S. music teachers in kindergarten through college, the second annual Music Educator Award will be given out during GRAMMY Week 2015. For more information about our music education programs, please visit www.grammyintheschools.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, please like "GRAMMY in the Schools" on Facebook, follow @GRAMMYFdn on Twitter and join @GRAMMYFdn on Instagram.
Media Contacts:
Christina Cassidy/GRAMMY Foundation/310.392.3777/christina.cassidy@grammy.com
Hannah Berryman/GRAMMY Foundation/310.392.3777/hannah.berryman@grammy.com
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