THE FRED HERSCH WORKSHOP
Solo, Duo, Trio | For Improvising Musicians

March 11–16, 2008

In a five-day workshop led by award-winning pianist and composer Fred Hersch, 12 young musicians will have the opportunity to work on solo, duo, and trio repertoire, including compositions by jazz greats like Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, and Wayne Shorter; classic standards; open improvisation; original compositions by Mr. Hersch; and new works by participating students. Mr. Hersch will be joined by a faculty of his colleagues—trumpeter Ralph Alessi, saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom, and pianist Jason Moran—who will share their knowledge and talents through lessons, structured listening sessions, open improvisation, jazz club excursions, and group discussions. The workshop will culminate in a Young Artists Concert in Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall.

For more information, please select a link below:
Meet the Artist
General Info
Requirements
Application
Tuition/Housing/Travel
Auditing
Other Info

Meet the Artist

Pianist and composer Fred Hersch has earned a place among the foremost jazz artists in the world today. He is widely recognized for his ability to create a unique body of original works while reinventing the standard jazz repertoire, investing time-tested classics with keen insight, fresh ideas, and extraordinary technique. Mr. Hersch's numerous honors include a 2003 Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship for composition and three Grammy nominations. He has appeared on over 100 recordings, including more than two-dozen albums as bandleader or solo pianist. Mr. Hersch has collaborated with an extraordinary range of major artists in both the jazz and classical worlds, including Joe Henderson, Art Farmer, Stan Getz, Bill Frisell, Charlie Haden, Gary Burton, Dawn Upshaw, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Christopher O'Riley, and Renée Fleming. Mr. Hersch's career as a performer has been greatly enhanced by his composing activities, a vital part of nearly all his live concerts and recordings. He has received numerous commissions, including those from the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Opus 21 Ensemble, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and Columbia University's Miller Theatre. He recently created Leaves of Grass, a large-scale setting of Walt Whitman's poetry for two voices and an instrumental octet; the work was presented in March 2005 in a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall as part of a six-city US tour. His solo piano music and chamber music is published by Edition Peters, and he has recorded for labels including Palmetto and Nonesuch. fredhersch.com

General Information

The workshop will focus on collaborations of musicians in traditional and nontraditional jazz combinations, jazz standards, open improvisation, original compositions by Mr. Hersch, and new works by workshop participants.

Requirements

Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 30. Applications will be accepted for piano, brass, wind, and string instruments; guitar; hand percussion and mallets (no drum set applications); and voice.

Application

The application deadline for this workshop has passed. Information for the 2008/2009 season Professional Training Workshops will be available in mid-April 2008.

Tuition/Housing/Travel

There is no tuition for the workshop. For participants coming from outside New York City, travel and shared housing will be arranged and paid for by Carnegie Hall.

Other Information

All participants must be available March 11–16, 2008, including some evenings, and are expected to attend ALL workshop sessions.