RED, WHITE, and BLUES! FREE JULY 4th BBQ and BIG BAND CONCERT with FILM in Rochester’s Northeast Quadrant
David Pacific
ROCHESTER, NY - The Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance partners with the Eastman School of Music and The City of Rochester’s Neighborhood Service Centers this Fourth of July to present BuJazzO (pronounced: boo-YAH-zoh), the German National Youth Jazz Orchestra and Vocals, performing with film selected from the George Eastman Museum, as part of the ensemble’s international tour. The free concert begins at 4:00 pm and will be held at St. Michael’s Church at 859 N. Clinton Ave, Rochester, NY 14605 with family activities beginning at 3:00 pm. A free Fourth of July indoor-outdoor barbeque will be held immediately following the performance at St. Michael’s Church Hall.
“Music often serves as the best way to connect, educate and preserve communities,” Mayor Lovely A. Warren said. “By continuing to welcome diverse performers into our city, we keep our neighborhoods vibrant. We extend a warm welcome to the members of BuJazzO and conductor Niels Klein to the city and hope that they enjoy their time here.”
“We are thrilled to present the internationally acclaimed BuJazzO big band to celebrate the Fourth of July and invite the entire community to join us for free music, film, and food with our friends and neighbors in the Northeast Quadrant,” said Dr. Neil Scheier, President of the Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance. “BuJazzO joins our vibrant community as we come together and experience the transformative power of the arts this holiday.”
“The short “city” films in this program are gorgeous, fun, and perfect for the high-energy jazz scores we commissioned. They depict dynamic street scenes and everyday neighborhood life from 100 years ago. To perform it all at the historic landmark St. Michael's is a dream," said Dr. Reinhild Steingröver, Professor of German at the Eastman School of Music and curator of the show.
BuJazzO is Germany’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra, comprised of musicians selected from competitive national auditions, known for their exceptionally high musical standards and innovative performances. BuJazzO brings the best-of-the-best young jazz talents from Germany to the international concert stage. Their performance in Rochester, entitled “Red, White, and Blues! Free Barbeque and Big Band with Film” brings a celebratory flair to their international tour. The program was commissioned to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Bauhaus art movement and combines rare footage by Laszlo Moholy Nagy (from the George Eastman Museum archive) with newly composed scores for big band by German and American jazz composers, including Bill Dobbins, Julia Huelsmann, Ansgar Striepens, and Gebhard Ullmann.
“It is an absolute privilege to bring together our city for a national holiday and present an internationally celebrated ensemble,” said David Pacific, Executive Director of Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance. “To be able to offer this opportunity for free and to showcase and share our community is guaranteed to make this Fourth of July a truly memorable experience for all those who come from across our region and from across the globe.”
Bundesjazzorchester/BuJazzO is the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of the Federal Republic of Germany. Their presentation in Rochester, NY is made possible through a partnership with the Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance and the Eastman School of Music, in conjunction with the City of Rochester and St. Michael’s Church, with major support from the Federal Republic of Germany’s Foreign Office and the Ministry of Family Affairs. This event is free and open to the public.
For media inquiries or more information, please contact David J. Pacific, Executive Director, Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance, at ExecutiveDirector@JosephAveArts.org or (585) 454-ARTS (2787).