Commitment to Educational Outreach
When the Music Festival was founded in 1994, one of the stated missions was to “enhance the appreciation and joy of music through education.” Since then, the Education Outreach Program, under Artistic Director Nuvi Mehta, has exposed thousands of elementary, middle and high school students to professional quality music and encouraged participation in musical activities through workshops and master classes with world-renowned artists. The Festival’s “Rising Stars” concert showcases some of the most promising young musicians in the country and student ticket prices are offered almost exclusively for every concert.
Music in the Schools: 3rd-5th Grade Program
Every year, Mehta brings his highly acclaimed “Music in the Schools” program to over 4000 children in 20 local elementary schools in Ventura County and the Ventura & Oxnard Boys & Girls Club. His three-part series, What is Rhythm, What is a Melody and What is Harmony, provides students with interactive instruction and performances utilizing a multi-media format.
“It is our goal to reach out to the youth through music”, explains Mehta. “To see a child’s eyes light up when they understand the music, or to see self-esteem and self-confidence grow in the children who embrace music, is worth every moment.”
High School Concerts and Master Classes
Many of the Festival performers are willing to support our educational outreach program by performing at the local middle and high schools. Music students are also given the opportunity to participate in master classes with these artists. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to work one-on-one with some of the world’s finest musicians.
Copyright Ventura Music Festival 2008/2009. All rights reserved. Photography credits: Linda F. Peterson, Paul Harris, BIll Hendricks.
Christian Choh, a 17-year old senior from Agoura High School was the winner of the 3rd annual Student Jazz Competition. He was chosen in a live performance on Sunday, January 10, 2010 at the Laurel Theatre. In addition to receiving a $500 scholarship, he will play with legendary Latin Jazz percussionist Pete Escovedo at the Festival’s Latin Jazz concert on February 13, 2010.
Fewer and fewer children have the opportunity to experience live classical and jazz music. The Ventura Music Festival is committed to supplementing music education in the schools, but can only do this through grants and community support. Please consider making a donation so we may continue offering these exciting and critical programs.
Ventura Music Festival Selects Student Jazz Competition
Winner at Live Concert
Christian Choh, a 17-year old senior from Agoura High School was chosen as the winner of the 3rd annual student jazz competition. For the first time, the Festival hosted a live competition concert, held on January 10th at the Laurel Theatre. The top 5 entries played one song, backed up by the Ventura based band, Coda. Judges were jazz and classical pianist Jonathan Cooper, film score producer Eddie Arkin, and noted Afro-Cuban percussionist Robert Fernandez.
The other finalists included:
2nd place: pianist Rachel Flowers, age 16 from Oxnard
3rd place: alto saxophonist Daniel Henry from Goleta
4th place: pianist Cindy Sithi-Amnuai, age 17 from Laguna Niguel
5th place: percussionist Cory Smith, age 15 from Westlake Village
As the winner, Choh received a $500 scholarship check and will be featured during one song with Pete Escovedo at the Festival’s Latin Jazz Concert on Saturday, February 13. Asked about the artists who influenced his saxophone playing, Choh cited John Coltrane, Kenny Garrett, and his brother. Choh has competed in numerous competitions as a member of the Agoura High School Jazz Band and plans to go to New York next year to study music.
Scholarship sponsors for the event included Sandra & Jordan Laby, Charles Levin and the Ventura Police Activities League. Bonnie and Don Carlton served as the event sponsors
Steven Z. Perren Juvenile Complex
For the second consecutive year, our highly successful educational outreach program will be presenting a full-day program at the Steven Z. Perren Juvenile Justice Complex in Oxnard on Saturday, February 20th . CSU percussion instructor Bob Fernandez teaches small workshops separately for boys and girls in the morning and his Afro-Cuban band, Los Jovenes del Son, performs concerts in the afternoon. This program was started in 2009 and is being made possible for the next two years by a California Arts Council/Department of Justice Music Presenting Grant. This grant was awarded to the Festival in October, 2009 and was one of 42 selected from the over 160 applications. Read the article
“Rising Stars” Concert
Every season, the Spring Festival gives some of the most promising young musicians in the country, in particular those who are from Ventura, the opportunity to perform. The 2008 season featured Ventura native Soprano Nicole Cabell who made her debut at the Met. In 2009, Rising Stars featured the up-and-coming Soprano Sophie Wingland, a 2004 Ventura High School graduate and sixteen year old concert violinist Jordan Urbach. Read the article Read the article
Student Ticket Prices
Students are offered discounted tickets almost exclusively for every concert.
Photo credit: Jim Needham
Competition 2010
