Berklee Global Jazz Institute Workshop Returns to Newport Jazz Festival

Students from across the globe will be mentored this summer in Newport, Rhode Island, the home of one of the world’s most legendary jazz festivals. Established in 2016, the Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) Workshop at the Newport Jazz Festival offers young vocalists and instrumentalists ages 15 to 18 a five-day intensive jazz program taught by world-renowned faculty, from July 29 through August 2, at Salve Regina University’s Department of Music Theater and Dance.

Led by Danilo Pérez, BGJI founder and artistic director, and Marco Pignataro, BGJI managing director and faculty member, the program will feature master classes in improvisation, theory, performance, harmonic analysis, and instrumental instruction. Ensembles will rehearse during the day, while evening jam sessions and open mics give students opportunities to collaborate and put new skills to practice, with final performances on the Newport Jazz Festival stage.

"The mentoring of these young talents by our BGJI faculty and the experiential learning of performing at the Newport Jazz Festival is a powerful and enduring way to nurture the next generation of creative jazz artists,” said Pérez. “I am also looking forward to inspiring them to think of music as a catalyst for positive social change in society."

Thirty students from more than 10 countries, including the United States, Colombia, Panama, Iceland, Chile, El Salvador, Finland, the Netherlands, Australia, and Israel, will attend the workshop on full scholarships provided by the Joyce and George Wein Foundation and the Mary Hailer Scholarship Fund, established by John and Maureen Hailer. The program is also made possible thanks to generous in-kind contributions on behalf of Salve Regina University.

"I am very pleased that the Joyce and George Wein Foundation is supporting the Berklee Global Jazz Institute Workshop and that the young people are able to perform at the 2019 Newport Jazz Festival,” stated Wein. “I enjoyed meeting some of the talented musicians last year and look forward to hearing this year's deserving participants."

The total value of the scholarships awarded for 2019 is $40,000. 

The Berklee Global Jazz Institute is a performance program designed to foster creativity and musicianship at the highest level through various musical disciplines and advance the power of music as a tool for the betterment of society. Along with Pérez and Pignataro, the Berklee Global Jazz Workshop will include Berklee faculty Terri Lyne Carrington on drums, George Garzone on saxophone, John Patitucci on acoustic bass, and several BGJI graduate students.