General Information About the Next Generation Festival

Every Spring, the Monterey Jazz Festival invites the top student musicians from across the country and around the world to participate in the Next Generation Festival.

The three-day event includes performances by middle school through college level ensembles as well as competitions, with awards going to the top groups for High School, Conglomerate, and College Big Band Divisions; for High School and College Vocal Ensembles; for High School Combos; and for our newest component, the Open Combo Division for high school conglomerate and college level ensembles. The event also includes Next Generation Festival's annual Composition Competition, open to high school composers or younger. The top three high school big bands, top high school combo, top conglomerate big band, top college-level big band and vocal ensemble, top two high school vocal ensembles, and top Open Division combo will win cash awards and be invited to perform at the 53rd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival presented by Verizon, September 17 - 19, 2010. In total, 10 groups from the Next Generation Festival will perform at MJF/53, with the top high school big band kicking off the Arena/Lyons Stage program on Sunday, September 19, 2010. Other selected groups will perform in the Night Club, the Garden Stage, and the Coffee House Gallery on the Grounds.

Auditions will also be held for chair positions in the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, which embarks on a summer tour and is a featured ensemble on the Festival's Sunday afternoon (September 19, 2010) Arena/Lyons Stage program. For MJF/53, Dianne Reeves, MJF’s Artist-In-Residence for 2010, will perform as a guest vocalist with the NGJO.

We thank the Surdna Foundation, AT&T Foundation, D’Addario Music Foundation, and Joseph Drown Foundation for their support of Next Generation Festival and Next Generation Festival partners Best Buy and Yamaha Instruments.

General Information About the Application Process

Next Generation Festival finalists are selected through recorded auditions reviewed and ranked by faculty from the Berklee College of Music, and will include twelve big bands, six combos, and eight vocal ensembles in the High School Division. Six college-level big bands and six college vocal ensembles will also be selected, in addition to six conglomerate and six middle school big bands.

New for 2010 is the Open Combo Division for college and conglomerate high school ensembles. Six finalist combos will be selected to participate in this newest division.

The Next Generation Festival will also feature special invited groups. In 2009, over fifty groups from across the United States attended the Next Generation Festival, including groups from Japan and the United Kingdom.

In addition, the Big Band Composition Competition is open to high school student composers. Judged by college faculty from leading music schools across the country, the winning composer will receive the Gerald Wilson Award and a cash prize, with the winning composition to be performed by the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra at the 53rd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival presented by Verizon, September 19, 2010 on the Jimmy Lyons Stage in the Arena before a crowd of 6,500 fans.

All Next Generation Festival events and activities—from Friday night's Kick-Off Concert through Saturday and Sunday's Next Generation Festival Jazz Competition—are open to the public, free of charge. The Festival will also conduct clinics, workshops, jam sessions, and auditions in the heart of historic Monterey, with music to be performed at the Monterey Conference Center, the host Portola Plaza Hotel, Fisherman’s Wharf, Cannery Row, and a downtown jazz club.

The Monterey Jazz Festival is also pleased to announce that the Artist-In-Residence for MJF/53 in 2010 will be four-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist, Dianne Reeves.

The following categories are now closed for entry to the Next Generation Festival:

• High School Big Bands
• High School Combos 
• High School Vocal Jazz Ensembles
• Conglomerate Big Bands
• Middle School Big Bands
• College Big Bands
• College Vocal Jazz Ensembles
• High School and College Open Combos

High school composers, instrumentalists and vocalists can still apply through March 12, 2010 to:

• Big Band Composition Competition
• Next Generation Jazz Orchestra

Live auditions for the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra take place on Sunday, April 11, 2010, in Monterey.
Individuals can complete an application form at that time.

For more information, see details below.

BIG BAND COMPOSITION COMPETITION
Information for Composers

General Information for Composers

• The Big Band Composition Competition is open to student composers currently enrolled in high school.
• Compositions are judged by college-level music faculty.
• The winning composer will receive a cash award, and the winning composition will be performed by the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra at the 53rd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival presented by Verizon, September 19, 2010.

Application Guidelines for Composers

• Compositions must be an original chart, not an arrangement, and written for standard big band instrumentation. The selection should not exceed 8 minutes in length.
• Composers should submit three copies of a full score. The composer’s name should not be written on the score.
• Deadline for all entries is March 12, 2010.
• Download, complete, and mail in an application form and three copies of a full score to:

Next Generation Festival
c/o The Monterey Jazz Festival
Attn: Dr. Rob Klevan, Jazz Education Director
9699 Blue Larkspur Lane, Suite 204
Monterey, CA 93940

If using FedEx, use 831-373-3366 as the contact number.

NEXT GENERATION JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Information for Chair Auditions (includes Vocal Soloist)

General Information for the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra

• All student musicians entering or enrolled in high school are eligible.
• In addition to performing at the 53rd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival presented by Verizon in September, members of the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra will participate in a performance tour in the summer of 2010.
• The names of students selected will be posted on the MJF website by April 19, 2010.

Application Guidelines for the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra

• Individuals are invited to compete for a chair with the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra either through videotape or live auditions at the Next Generation Festival on Sunday, April 11, 2010, from 9:00am to Noon. Criteria for videotape and live auditions will be the same and available online.
• Videotaped auditions are due by March 12, 2010.
•Those choosing to submit a videotape audition should download, complete, and mail in an application form along with their video (DVD preferred) to the following address. Those auditioning at the live auditions on April 11 can complete an application form at that time.

Next Generation Festival
c/o The Monterey Jazz Festival
Attn: Dr. Rob Klevan, Jazz Education Director
9699 Blue Larkspur Lane, Suite 204
Monterey, CA 93940

If using FedEx, use 831-373-3366 as the contact number.