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Joye in Aiken festival receives SC Arts Commission grant

From the Aiken Standard

Article by Stephanie Turner; photo by Cindy Kubovic

The nonprofit that has been bringing acclaimed Juilliard School performers to Aiken for almost a decade has been awarded a grant to help continue its mission.

The South Carolina Arts Commission awarded Joye in Aiken, formerly known as Juilliard in Aiken, $9,612 toward the its 2015-16 fiscal year, according to a press release.

“Joye in Aiken is entirely funded by grants, individual donations and corporate sponsorships,” Dr. Sandra Field, Joye in Aiken board president and festival co-founder, said in a press release. “While we have wonderful community support, we’re also grateful for this funding from the state level. We think it shows that the commissioners recognize the unique role we play in the economic and cultural life, not only of Aiken, but of the surrounding region.”

The money will be used for the organization’s educational outreach, which has impacted around 24,000 students, and presentation of “public performances by world-class students and alumnae from the renowned Juilliard School and other famous performing arts conservatories,” according to a press release.

The main performing arts festival and outreach program will be held from March 5 to 12, with the Allant Trio, a Juilliard-trained chamber ensemble, doing a week-long educational outreach at Langley-Bath-Clearwater Middle School before its performance at 4 p.m. Oct. 18 at St. John’s United Methodist Church, 104 Newberry St. N.W.

For more information, visit www.joyeinaiken.com.

Image: Part of the $9,612 grant Joye in Aiken (formerly known as Juilliard in Aiken) received from the South Carolina Arts Commission will go toward its educational outreach. Pictured are East Aiken School of the Arts students watching a performance during this past year’s festival.

Juilliard in Aiken to celebrate memory of founder Gregory White Smith

Juilliard in Aiken is ready to “Make Miracles Happen” when its Performing Arts Festival and Outreach Program returns with eight days of performances and a lineup of spectacular young stars from March 7 – 15, 2015. With a theme based on the title of a book written by the late Juilliard in Aiken founder and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gregory White Smith, the 2015 program promises a seventh year of joy, hope, wonder and excitement. The final Saturday of the festival features a memorial celebration for Smith, who lost his nearly lifelong battle with brain cancer in April 2014. Steve Naifeh, current Juilliard in Aiken chair, says that the vision Smith and Sandra Field (the organization’s president emeritus) had six years ago was to bring Juilliard’s world-class art to as many people in the area as possible, without regard to circumstance or background. “Greg believed as I do, and as The Juilliard School does, that great art is transforming,” Naifeh says. “He wanted everyone, everywhere, to have access to it. That’s why all of our performances are either free or low-cost. And it’s why we have such an extensive outreach program.” Naifeh said the organization’s school outreaches have served more than 20,000 students since Juilliard in Aiken’s founding in 2009. This year the program will reach students from age five to college. Naifeh noted that the success of last year’s festival, which brought 1,000 people to a historically accurate, three-hour production of Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion, bodes well for the future. “It proved that Aiken audiences truly appreciate the level of quality that characterizes every performance,” he said. “The Juilliard School is one of the most prestigious and highly respected institutions in the world. I think our audience will be pleased that this year’s festival offers so much variety while maintaining Juilliard’s extremely high standards in terms of artistry and talent.” Highlights of the festival include the return of Juilliard Dance -- not seen in Aiken since 2012 -- and a free Juilliard Juniors Dance program for families with children ages 5 - 10. The Allant Trio will offer piano, violin and cello, and Juilliard Jazz will perform a concert at the Etherredge Center and during After Hours at the Willcox. The Showcase Concert on Friday, March 13 features piano duo Anderson & Roe and guest artist baritone Elliott Carlton Hines, who will also perform sacred songs in a worship service open to everyone on March 15 at Second Baptist Church. For the performance and outreach schedules and to purchase tickets, visit www.juilliardinaiken.com. Via: Juilliard in Aiken

Juilliard in Aiken Festival to feature Saint Matthew Passion

A Grammy-nominated conductor and choir. Some of the world’s most accomplished musicians. The greatest music ever written, telling the greatest story ever told. It’s the kind of powerhouse combination that few people outside of the world’s major cities expect to experience. And yet all of those superlatives come together in Aiken on March 14, 2014, when the centerpiece of Juilliard in Aiken’s sixth annual Performing Arts Festival and Outreach Program – Johann Sebastian Bach’s monumental Saint Matthew Passion – is performed. “It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of us in this area,” said Betty Ryberg, president of Juilliard in Aiken. “This will be the debut performance of a joint production by the famed Juilliard School and Trinity Wall Street Choir, which is one of the most acclaimed choral groups anywhere. And the performance will take place in the weeks leading up to Easter, so the timing could not be more perfect.” The Passion, as it is known, will be the final concert of the Juilliard in Aiken Festival, which will run March 9 - 14. Composed in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestras, the piece recounts the story of Christ’s final days. It is widely considered to be the most important single work in Western music. The Passion will be performed at First Baptist Church in Aiken at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 14. The Trinity Wall Street Choir, based at Trinity Church in Manhattan, is one of the country’s most acclaimed professional vocal ensembles. It is especially known for its world-class performances and recordings of Bach’s music. In 2013, the choir was nominated for a Grammy, as was its conductor, Julian Wachner. In 2012, the Trinity Choir was selected by the Rolling Stones to perform at the final concert of their 50th anniversary tour and sang “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” with the legendary rock band. Joining the Trinity Choir in this new production of the Passion will be instrumentalists from Juilliard 415, Juilliard’s renowned historical performance ensemble, and soloists from Juilliard’s vocal program. Ryberg noted that it was a significant honor for Juilliard to select Aiken as the site of the production’s premiere. She attributed the honor to “the existence of Juilliard in Aiken, the success of past festivals, and the warm welcome that Juilliard has found here, as well as the Juilliard students’ fondness for Aiken.” Thanks to private funding, the production will travel to Atlanta following its Aiken debut. The final performance will take place in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York. Juilliard in Aiken is inviting local choral groups to participate in a citywide celebration of the Passion in the months leading up to the performance. Groups from area churches, schools and other organizations will take part in a variety of ways. A Choral Celebration in February will showcase the talents of area choir directors and singers, and in March, Wachner will work with participating choirs in a special Juilliard-in-Aiken Choral Workshop. In addition to the Passion, the 2014 Festival schedule will include other public performances and an extensive program of outreach to area schools. Last year, the Festival reached more than 5,000 students. During the summer of 2013, Juilliard in Aiken also sponsored a Jazz Camp at USC Aiken. About Juilliard in Aiken Juilliard in Aiken was founded in 2009 after Aiken authors Greg Smith and Steven Naifeh bequeathed their home, Joye Cottage, to The Juilliard School as an out-of-town residence for Juilliard artists. The nonprofit organization receives no funds from The Juilliard School and depends on local fundraising and grants to present its Festival performances and educational outreach programs. For more information, visit www.juilliardinaiken.com. Via: Juilliard in Aiken

Application deadline extended for Juilliard Summer Jazz Camp

Application deadline extended to May 15! There's still time to apply for the Juilliard Summer Jazz Camp in Aiken, a one-week program for students ages 13-18 who are dedicated, disciplined and passionate about jazz. The camp is scheduled for June 10-14, 2013, at the University of South Carolina-Aiken and is open to students from across the United States who meet the requirements. The program is designed to give young jazz musicians a taste of a Juilliard Jazz student’s life and to help them refine their technique, improvisation and performance skills. Teachers include members of the Juilliard Jazz faculty, current senior students and alumni. The daily camp schedule is from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and includes musicianship classes, individual practices, ensemble classes and rehearsals,  listening sessions and jam sessions. The camp concludes with a concert featuring all students. Instruments for this year's camp are the trumpet, saxophone, trombone, guitar, piano, double bass and drums. There is no vocal program. The camp is a collaboration between the Juilliard School, Juilliard in Aiken, and the University of South Carolina-Aiken. Tuition is $400 with additional optional fees for housing and meals. Limited financial assistance is available for those who qualify. Application and non-refundable $150 deposit are due May 15. To find out more or to apply, visit the Juilliard in Aiken website and read the camp application. Via: Juilliard in Aiken

Young jazz musicians invited to apply for Juilliard Summer Camp

Application deadline April 15 The Juilliard Summer Jazz Camp in Aiken is a one-week program for students ages 13-18 who are dedicated, disciplined and passionate about jazz. The camp is scheduled for June 10-14, 2013, at the University of South Carolina-Aiken and is open to students from across the United States who meet the requirements. The program is designed to give young jazz musicians a taste of a Juilliard Jazz student’s life and to help them refine their technique, improvisation and performance skills. Teachers include members of the Juilliard Jazz faculty, current senior students and alumni. The daily camp schedule is from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and includes musicianship classes, individual practices, ensemble classes and rehearsals,  listening sessions and jam sessions. The camp concludes with a concert featuring all students. Instruments for this year's camp are the trumpet, saxophone, trombone, guitar, piano, double bass and drums. There is no vocal program. The camp is a collaboration between the Juilliard School, Juilliard in Aiken, and the University of South Carolina-Aiken. Tuition is $400 with additional optional fees for housing and meals. Limited financial assistance is available for those who qualify. Application and non-refundable $150 deposit are due April 15. To find out more or to apply, visit the Juilliard in Aiken website and read the camp application. Via: Juilliard in Aiken

Related: The Juilliard in Aiken Festival is scheduled for March 9-15.

Juilliard in Aiken Festival celebrates fifth season

[gallery link="file"] More than 40 Juilliard students, faculty and alumni will present public performances, master classes, workshops and in-school performances during the Juilliard in Aiken performing arts festival, scheduled for March 9-15. The 2013 event celebrates the fifth season of this unique partnership with Juilliard, one of the world's premier performing arts conservatories. Aiken is the first and only community in the world with which Juilliard has partnered to create a festival of this magnitude. Highlights of this year's festival include the return of popular artists Paul Jacobs, considered the world's leading organist and a Grammy winner; Charles Yang, a crossover violinist described by the Boston Globe as having the "charisma of a rock star;" and the dynamic piano duo Anderson and Roe. Visit the Juilliard in Aiken website to view the performance schedule and purchase tickets. Several events are free. Images are from the 2012 festival. Via: Juilliard in Aiken Related: Juilliard in Aiken also presents a summer jazz camp for students ages 13-18.

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