Creating Opportunities
As well as our extensive education outreach, we also develop the careers of emerging and established jazz artists.
Beyond our extensive education outreach, we also develop the careers of emerging and established jazz artists by offering invaluable career advice from industry professionals through our one-to-one clinics, while others are given a platform to introduce their music to our audiences through events such as the Jazz Exchange and The Showcase.
Our annual Jazz Exchange concert welcomes student musicians from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and one other top institution for studying jazz. While The Showcase project opens doors for two emerging artists who have previously taken part in …around town by not only giving them the chance to play in our 600-seat Jazz Arena, but also offering a six-month package of career support including a mentoring session with key music industry figures.
We have opened up more slots for exciting support acts to warm up the Town Hall crowds and our …around town programme invites local and national artists to play stages all across Cheltenham.
Following on from the success of Hack the Jazz Festival, which explored ideas for new outdoor commissions at the Festival, we have developed the Jerwood Jazz Encounters artist development programme, supported by Jerwood Arts.This supports jazz artists to create and develop ground-breaking new ways to conceive and deliver an outdoor, site-specific or digital work to be hosted by Cheltenham Jazz Festival and one of the co-producing partners, as well as benefiting from a range of additional support and training throughout the programme including R&D funding, in-depth mentoring, participation in a Creative Lab and more.
Jack Abraham, manager of Kansas Smitty’s House Band
"The Festival team were willing to meet us as partners and collaborators, which is unique. When many large arts organisations are booking merely to sell tickets, Cheltenham has a very clear eye on the future and seeks to build for the long term."
One-to-one Clinics and the Research and Development grants are kindly supported by Keith Norton and Louise Hewett. Showcase is kindly supported by The Oldham Foundation
Sponsors
Jerwood Jazz Encounters is supported by:
