Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival 2019

At Paul Bothner Music, we pride ourselves on our extensive involvement with the improvement and development of local musicians. So it is a with great pride that we once again announce our association with the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival in Grahamstown.

It was a brilliant festival – excellent, diverse performances and a real vibe and buy-in from musicians, teachers and students! In all, a wonderful week!

For over 27 years the festival has been promoting the development of jazz in South Africa. This year the festival will run from 27 June to 1 July.

The festival is a week-long celebration of jazz and the furtherment of jazz. Annually, approximately 350 students and 40 teachers descend upon the arts-friendly town of Grahamstown for an event like no other.

The main aim of the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival is the development of jazz. To this end, there are over 90 professional jazz musicians and educators who attend as teachers. Over the week, students will get to learn from the South African masters of jazz.

Of course, the event is about more than just attending workshops and classes. Each band will get to play on the world class main stage. Not only will the students learn how to play better, but they will also get the opportunity to put their new chops to the test.

Tickets for the festival are available from the National Arts website.

National Youth Jazz Band

The top jazz students will be allowed to audition for the Standard Bank National Schools Big Band as well as the National Youth Jazz Band.

The national bands are conducted by some of the countries top performers and educators. Because of this, the national bands make an excellent platform to potentially launch a life-long career in music.

The national bands regularly tour the country and play at all the big festivals. They play on stages all over the country; from Cape Town to Joburg and Durban. Additionally, they have even had the opportunity to play in New York, Sweden and the Netherlands!

National Youth Jazz Festival 2019 in Pictures

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