Sean Jones,
an internationally acclaimed trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and educator, has
been appointed the Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair in Jazz Studies at the
Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University. Jones will officially
assume his duties as chair with the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year, and
will make several introductory visits to Peabody during the Spring 2018
semester to hear auditions, conduct master classes, and work with student jazz
ensembles. His appointment is the result of a months-long search which produced
an outstanding field of diverse and competitive candidates from throughout the
world.
Jones comes
to Peabody from the Berklee College of Music, where he has served as chair of
the Brass Department since 2014. He is artistic director of the Pittsburgh Jazz
Orchestra, Artist-in-Residence at San Francisco Performances, and a member of
the SFJAZZ Collective. In addition, Jones serves as a member of the Jazz
Education Network's Board of Directors and was recently appointed as artistic
director of Carnegie Hall's NYO Jazz, which makes its Carnegie Hall debut and
inaugural European tour in the summer of 2018.
"Jazz
is a deep and important aspect of the Baltimore story, and an essential
contemporary American art form," said Fred Bronstein, dean of the Peabody
Institute. "Peabody's strong commitment to jazz and its critical points of
intersection with many different aspects of musical creation and performance,
along with our focus on citizen artistry, make this an ideal time and place to
mark a new chapter for jazz at Peabody and in Baltimore. Sean Jones -- an
inspiring artist, engaging leader, and dedicated teacher -- is the perfect
choice to lead this effort for our jazz students and all our Conservatory
musicians, as well as in the broader community. We are thrilled to welcome him
to Peabody and eagerly anticipate his leadership."
Jones joins
a diverse roster of artist-faculty colleagues charged with implementation of
the Conservatory's new Breakthrough Curriculum in Music Leadership, a model at
the forefront of arts training in the United States. The Breakthrough
Curriculum is designed to help students develop skills in performance, career
development, and citizen artistry to meet the demands of today's ever-changing
musical landscape. This includes a reimagined instrumental ensembles program in
which students move through a rotation of varied ensemble experiences to ensure
musical flexibility and training across a range of performing contexts, musical
styles, and ensemble configurations.
"Peabody
is at a crucial point in its history as a beacon of music education and curator
of American Music," noted Jones about his appointment. "It has the
unique opportunity to support the codification and curation of America's
indigenous art form not just in word, but in deed! Although I will miss my
wonderful colleagues at the Berklee College of Music, I am thrilled to be
afforded the opportunity to help lead this storied institution into the future
of American music education."
A highly
respected and in-demand musician, Jones has performed and/or recorded with
major figures including: Joe Lovano, Chico O'Farrill, Illinois Jacquet, Jimmy
Heath, Frank Foster, Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves, and Gerald Wilson, and with
Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter in the 2011 Tribute to Miles
tour. He holds a master's degree from Rutgers University and was lead trumpeter
with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, where he worked closely with Wynton
Marsalis, until 2010. He has recently released his eighth recording, Live from
Jazz at the Bistro, on Mack Avenue Records. In addition to Berklee, Jones has
taught at Duquesne University and at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, while
regularly offering master classes and clinics around the world.
Located in
the heart of Baltimore's Mount Vernon Cultural District, the Peabody Institute
was founded in 1857 as the first major intellectual and arts center in an
American city by philanthropist George Peabody. Now celebrating 40 years as a
division of Johns Hopkins University, the Peabody Institute trains musicians
and dancers of every age, stages nearly 1,000 concerts and events each year,
and extends music and musical training throughout the community. Building on
its rich history of professional music training at the highest level and
focused on the four pillars of excellence, interdisciplinary experiences,
innovation, and community connectivity, Peabody is introducing the Breakthrough
Curriculum in Music Leadership to prepare artists for a world that is
constantly changing yet still deeply in need of what music brings to the human
experience.
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