For immediate release
Contact:
Christopher Dorsey, Director of Bands
Dillard Center for the Arts
2501 NW 11th Street
Sunrise, FL 33311
christopher.dorsey@browardschools.com
754-322-0838
Dillard Center for the Arts Jazz Ensemble Awarded Second Place in Swing Central High Jazz Competition in Savannah Georgia on April 5, 2008.
Twelve outstanding high school jazz bands from across the nation competed for $13,000 in cash awards in Savannah Music Festival’s SWING CENTRAL High School Jazz Band Competition & Workshop, April 3 – 5, 2008. Dillard Center for the Arts Jazz Ensemble received the 2nd Place Award!
Fort Lauderdale, Florida – April 16, 2008 – Dillard Center for the Arts Jazz Ensemble one of twelve high school jazz bands to participate in the Savannah Music Festival (SMF). The Savannah Music Festival was two weeks of wonderful music and events. One of those events, in its third year, is “Swing Central”, a series of jazz workshops for high school jazz bands. This year was also the first for the jazz band competition. This attracted high school jazz bands from around the country. Schools came from as far away California, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Florida.
The bands performed for a distinguished panel of jazz educators including Jeff Clayton, James Ketch, Marcus Roberts, Eric Reed, Jason Marsalis, Marcus Printup, Jack Wilkins and Wycliffe Gordon. Other Swing Central faculty included: Dave Stryker, Roland Guerin, Thomas Walsh, Leon Anderson, Jr., Rodney Jordan, William Peterson, and Rick Simerly.
Each band played three selections: “Groove Merchant,” a director’s choice, and “Savannah Trails’, a piece composed especially for Swing Central by jazz trombonist Wycliffe Gordon.
The three top-scoring bands each received an honorarium ($5000 for first, $2500 for second and $1000 for third place) and performed during the opening set at the SMF production “The One and Only Wycliffe Gordon,” at the Lucas Theatre for the Arts.
This festival-closing show, Gordon premiered with an original piece commissioned by SMF.
Dillard Center for the Arts Jazz Ensemble’s performance featured Marcus Printup, a jazz trumpet player who tours annually with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and performs with the Marcus Roberts Trio. Dillard received a standing ovation from the entire audience!!
Out of the twelve schools chosen to compete, the top three High School Jazz bands were: New World School of the Arts Miami, FL ($5,000) under the direction of Mr. Jim Gasior. Dillard Center of the Arts Ft. Lauderdale, FL ($2,500) under the direction of Mr. Christopher Dorsey. Agoura High School Agoura Hills, CA ($1,000) under the direction of John Mosley.
Dillard Center for the Arts has had along tradition of jazz. Nat “Cannonball” Adderley taught there before his big break in New York.
The program Mr. Dorsey has envisioned and started just a few years ago is being recognized on a national level with a very strong 2nd place showing in this contest.
The Dillard Center for the Arts Jazz Ensemble will be performing May 3, 2008 at 4:00 PM . The concert will be held at Dillard Center for the Arts – 2501 NW 11th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 at 4:00 PM. Tickets are: $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for students with identification.
About Christopher Dorsey:
Christopher Dorsey enjoys an extraordinary career as an educator, conductor and performer and receives high praise from students, parents and peers. Chris has taught for more than 22 years with various schools in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. For the past four years, he has been the Director of Bands – Jazz Ensemble and Concert Band at Dillard Center of the Arts in For Lauderdale, Florida.
The Dillard Center for the Arts Jazz Ensemble and Concert Bands have received Superior ratings at District level four years in a row and have won Grand Champion and First Place at the Musical Experience First Annual Festival.
Dorsey holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Jackson State University (1983) and a Master of Education from the University of Florida (1986). Prior to assuming his position at Dillard Center of the Arts, Chris was a successful educator at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in Miami, Florida, where he served as the Fine Arts Department Chairman and Director of Bands – Jazz, Concert, Symphonic and the Mighty Marching Bulls Band from 1996 to 2004.
Under his direction, the Mighty Marching Bulls and the Symphonic bands rated Superior five out of eight years. The Jazz band rated Superior, eight consecutive years on the District level and seven years on the State level.
Dorsey is an accomplished professional trombonist and has performed with jazz greats such as Nat Adderley, Al Grey, Slide Hampton, Lionel Hampton and the Roland Burnes Quintet. As a featured trombonist, Chris toured extensively throughout Europe with the Off Broadway production of “Ain’t Misbehavin” and has worked with Dionne Warwick and Melton Mustafa.
Contact:
Christopher Dorsey, Director of BandsDillard Center for the Arts2
501 NW 11th StreetSunrise, FL 33311
christopher.dorsey@browardschools.com
754-322-0838
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