EUGENE, Ore. - The Lane Community College Jazz Ensemble has been named a winner in the 38th Annual DownBeat Magazine Student Music Awards. This is the first year the DownBeat's Student Music Awards include a category for community colleges, and Lane Jazz Ensemble was named the winner in the large ensemble competition.
DownBeat Magazine, established in Chicago in 1934 and dedicated to "jazz, blues, and beyond," is one of the nation's most recognized music publications. The DownBeat Student Music Awards is a prestigious competition for middle school, high school and college students to be recognized for their hard work and musical abilities. Recordings are submitted online and judged by professional musicians and educators based on musicianship, creativity, improvisation, technique, sound quality and balance, excitement and authority.
The Lane Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Paul Krueger, is one of the premiere performing ensembles at Lane Community College. Students audition for the ensemble every fall and rehearse throughout the year while performing several times each term. The jazz ensemble co-hosts the Oregon Jazz Festival along with the University of Oregon, and recently completed a tour of Central Oregon which culminated with a performance at the Reno Jazz Festival. The Lane Jazz Ensemble will be in concert Friday, June 5, at 7:30pm in the Ragozzino Hall on the Lane Community College main campus.
Located in Eugene, Lane Community College's Music, Dance & Theatre Arts Department is home to the largest community college music program in the state of Oregon. Its distinguished faculty, energetic student body, and the thriving Eugene arts community have made Lane's music program noted for excellence throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Music Majors at Lane may participate in one or more of its six large ensembles or seven jazz combos while preparing to transfer to a four-year school as a junior. Lane's music program awards approximately $40,000 in annual scholarships and financial aid.
Recent guest artists in the Lane jazz program include Branford Marsalis, Ingrid Jensen, Donny McCaslin, Dick Oatts, Luis Bonilla, Eric Alexander, Rich Perry, and Bobby Shew.
Auditions for the 2015-2016 Lane Jazz Ensemble will be held at the beginning of Fall Term, 2015. For more information, contact: kruegerp@lanecc.edu
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