News Release
June 2001
(Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania)—The Moravian College Music Institute will hold the
9th annual July Jazz Getaway week from Sunday, July 8, to Saturday,
July 14. This year’s July Jazz Getaway feature artist is jazz
great Wycliffe Gordon who will perform in concert with his trio and
the Moravian College BIG Band on Thursday, July 12, at 7:30 p.m. in
the Foy Concert Hall on Moravian College’s Church Street Campus
in historic Bethlehem. Wycliffe Gordon will also conduct a master class
on Thursday, July 12, at 10:30 a.m.
Wycliffe Gordon’s performance and master class are
part of the July Jazz Getaway (JJG), a weeklong summer jazz vacation
camp at Moravian College. The Getaway is designed for non-professional
adult musicians. The program offers daily jazz, big band, ensemble,
and jam session playing with a faculty of professional musicians.
Wycliffe Gordon is in the midst of an extraordinary career
as a performer, conductor, composer, arranger, and educator. His powerful
and intricate trombone playing has been hailed by The New York Times
as "masterful". Gordon is enjoying a thriving solo career,
performing regularly with the Wycliffe Gordon Quartet and the Wynton
Marsalis Septet. Gordon delighted the audience at Moravian College last
spring while playing along with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center
Jazz Orchestra.
The
July Jazz Getaway will also feature a special performance by vocalist,
Toni Harris "Ms. Jazz" on Tuesday, July 10, at 7:30 in Peter
Hall. Harris vocal style is reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday
and other singers she idolized as a child. Harris has performed at Jazz
festivals and clubs throughout the United States and Europe.
The July Jazz Getaway week events that are open to the
public include the following:
The Moravian College Faculty Jazz Concert will be held
on Sunday, July 8 at 7:00 p.m. The ensemble features Neil Wetzel on
saxophone, Skip Wilkins on piano, Paul Rostock on bass, and Gary Rissmiller
on drums. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for Senior Citizens, students,
and children 12 and under.
An Evening with vocalist "Ms. Jazz" Toni Harris,
will be held on Tuesday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Peter Hall Admission
is $8 for adults and $5 for Senior Citizens, students, and children
12 and under.
The Lehigh Valley Open Jam Session will be held on Wednesday,
July 11 at 7:30 p.m. All area musicians are invited to bring their
instruments and join in the action on stage. The jam session is free
and open to the public.
Master class with Wycliffe Gordon will be held on Thursday,
July 12 at 10:30 a.m. Wycliffe Gordon will review and critique July
Jazz Getaway players techniques offering suggestions and tips. The
workshop provides insight into the style and techniques that made
Wycliffe Gordon a jazz great. All seats are $5.
Jazz great Wycliffe Gordon in concert with his trio
and the Moravian College Big Band on Thursday, July 12 at 8:00 p.m.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for Senior Citizens, students,
and children 12 and under.
The July Jazz Ensembles and BIG Band Concert will be
held on Saturday, July 14 at 7:00 p.m. The concert features the talents
of the camp participants along with the Moravian College BIG Band.
Admission is free.
Events are held in Moravian College’s Foy Concert
Hall at Main and Church streets in historic downtown Bethlehem. Toni
Harris performance will be held in Peter Hall. For more information
on the July Jazz Getaway and concert schedule, contact the Moravian
College Music Institute at (610) 861-1650.
Moravian College is a private, coeducational, selective
liberal arts college located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its
founding to 1742, it is recognized as America's sixth-oldest college.
Visit the Web site at www.moravian.edu.
