MEDIA & PRESS
December 21 2020
FAST TRACK TO The Future - By Andy Sparling
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You never know how things are going to work out.
Trite, but true. Just ask Charlotte Alexander and Brad Eaton, two of the new young members of the Brian Barlow Big Band. In 2013, Charlotte played trombone in the O’Neill high school jazz band in Oshawa. Just seven short years later, she joined the Barlow band. And not on trombone, either. On French horn! Back then, Charlotte was one of about 80 jazz musicians from four Ontario schools attending the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival’s annual Jazz Education Program. It was there that she heard the Barlow ensemble - the first time she’d ever heard a big band live. It turned out to be a very important moment. Much to her excitement, there was a French horn player in it! Seeing Michèle Gagnon play French horn in the band opened her mind to non-orchestral career options, and she convinced her music teacher to let her switch from trombone to French horn in the big band the following year. She’s just a year-and-a-half out of music at the University of Toronto. “And now to be playing in Brian’s band, the first big band I heard live – I’m just thrilled.” Versatile trumpeter Brad Eaton also has a strong connection to the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival. He was chosen as the “Rising Young Star” in 2015, which gave him the opportunity to play every night with the main-stage headliners. He graduated a year later from U of T and launched a performance career covering many different styles. “Winning that award was so enriching and motivating. It led to many more amazing opportunities. Playing alongside the exceptional musicians in Brian's band is as much a joy as it is a phenomenal learning experience." Bandleader Barlow’s take? “It’s pretty satisfying to see these young performers we’ve helped along fill the needs we have now. They’re the future.” |
January 14 2019
NEW PEC JAZZ YOUTH ENSEMBLE
The Prince Edward County Jazz Festival is excited to announce the expansion of their youth education programs with the creation of the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival Youth Ensemble (PECJYE).
The PECYJE will provide outstanding high school musicians the opportunity to further develop their musicianship through rehearsing and performing in a small jazz ensemble.
For more information and audition requirements, visit our Youth Ensemble page.
The PECYJE will provide outstanding high school musicians the opportunity to further develop their musicianship through rehearsing and performing in a small jazz ensemble.
For more information and audition requirements, visit our Youth Ensemble page.
March 4 2017
The Joy Of Learning Jazz - County-style
The TD Jazz Education Program offers high school musicians a chance to learn from and play with some of the world’s top pros in Prince Edward County
Louis Armstrong learned a lot about jammin’ when Joe King Oliver took him under his wing. There were no trumpet parts in Oliver’s band for Armstrong to read, and so he had to listen and just make it up. Miles Davis was mentored by the legendary Clark Terry while he was still in high school.
So if you’re an aspiring high school jazz pianist in modern-day Ontario, imagine going one-on-one with a two-time JUNO winner. Or saxophone sessions with a guy who backed Tony Bennett and Herbie Hancock. Or trombone talk with a two-time nominee as Canada’s best…or drum discussion with one of the country’s most-recorded musicians.
That’s just the plan for nearly eighty central and eastern Ontario high school musicians who will take part in The TD Jazz Education Program in Prince Edward County April 21-23. It’s a crucial part of the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival’s commitment to the future of jazz.
The young musicians will gather at the Isaiah Tubbs Resort for three days to soak up all the performance help and jazz knowledge their master mentors can offer. And at the end, on Sunday April 23, they show what they’ve learned, and actually perform with the pros. The high school ensembles will share the Regent Theatre stage in Picton with the Brian Barlow Big Band and 2017 JUNO-nominated vocalist Barbra Lica. Show time is 2:30 p.m. Sun. April 23.
“This thing is now a fixture in Canadian jazz education,” says program director Blair Yarranton.
“Both the teachers and students tell us it’s the best extra-curricular jazz experience they have. And what’s really fun is thinking about how a few of these students may well be back here peforming as professional artists on our festival’s main stage. It’s happened before, and it’ll happen again. It’s good for our festival, and it’s good for jazz.”
Several alumni have established their own successful careers in jazz. One of the most accomplished is Barbra Lica herself, who will perform at this year’s culminating concert April 23rd. Drummers Ian Wright and Sarah Thawer, and pianist Hannah Barstow are also “grads.”
However, Prince Edward County Jazz Festival Creative Director Brian Barlow points out that only a few will become professional musicians.
“What they really take away from this program are invaluable lessons in life skills - working as a team, cooperation, listening, knowing when to take the lead and when to follow, taking risks. They also move on with a much better understanding of what it takes to make a life in the arts, and an appreciation of the arts. This will make them far more likely to support the arts as adults, and that's important.”
Andy Sparling
| tdjazzed2017.pdf |
July 9 2016
2016 Rising Young Star CHOSEN
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The Prince Edward County Jazz Festival is pleased to announce that the recipient of our 2016 Rising Young Star Award is twenty-one year old Hannah Barstow from Napanee, ON.
Hannah is a pianist, composer and vocalist who recently graduated from the University of Toronto where she earned a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance with honours. While at U of T Hannah received a number of awards, including the Oscar Peterson Grant for Jazz Performance and the U of T Jazz Arranging Prize. Hannah participated in the TD Jazz Education Program while attending high school in Napanee, and has been a regular performer at the PEC Jazz Festival since the age of thirteen. The Rising Young Star Award is generously sponsored by Hillier House. |
MEDIA RELEASE: 2016 FESTIVAL LINEUP
June 3 2016
2016 County Jazz Fest features newest JUNO winners, young stars
2016 County Jazz Fest features newest JUNO winners, young stars
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Emilie-Claire Barlow, Robi Botos the latest atop a long list of JUNO winners and new-generation talent at Canada’s unique “jazz-only” jazz festival
Direct from wins at the 2016 JUNO Awards - the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival will present vocalist Emilie-Claire Barlow and pianist Robi Botos at this year’s festival, which runs Aug. 16 - 21.
The two stars captured two of three available jazz JUNOs this year; Barlow won and earned another nomination for best vocal jazz album for Clear Day and Botos’ Movin’ Forward captured the prize for solo jazz album.
In fact, the entire 2016 Prince Edward County Festival lineup is steeped in JUNO, Gemini and even Grammy winners and nominees: Joe Sealy, Jackie Richardson, Mike Murley, Guido Basso, Bernie Senensky, Brian Barlow, among others. Performers include rising young talents such as bassist Jodi Proznick, tenor saxophonist Alison Young, vocalist Alex Samaras, and a week’s worth of TD Young Jazz Series artists who will one day make their mark as headliners.
Since 2001, the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival has been presenting the very best in live Canadian and international jazz for a week in August. That’s five straight days for fifteen consecutive years, a record that clearly establishes the Festival as the number-one producer of world-class live entertainment in a part of Ontario becoming well-known not only for its wine, but also for its creative contributions to Canadian culture.
Performers are getting younger. With an average age under 40, and a week’s worth of shows by emerging artists in the TD Young Jazz Series, the music is alive, well, hip, and going places.
(see document below for more)
Direct from wins at the 2016 JUNO Awards - the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival will present vocalist Emilie-Claire Barlow and pianist Robi Botos at this year’s festival, which runs Aug. 16 - 21.
The two stars captured two of three available jazz JUNOs this year; Barlow won and earned another nomination for best vocal jazz album for Clear Day and Botos’ Movin’ Forward captured the prize for solo jazz album.
In fact, the entire 2016 Prince Edward County Festival lineup is steeped in JUNO, Gemini and even Grammy winners and nominees: Joe Sealy, Jackie Richardson, Mike Murley, Guido Basso, Bernie Senensky, Brian Barlow, among others. Performers include rising young talents such as bassist Jodi Proznick, tenor saxophonist Alison Young, vocalist Alex Samaras, and a week’s worth of TD Young Jazz Series artists who will one day make their mark as headliners.
Since 2001, the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival has been presenting the very best in live Canadian and international jazz for a week in August. That’s five straight days for fifteen consecutive years, a record that clearly establishes the Festival as the number-one producer of world-class live entertainment in a part of Ontario becoming well-known not only for its wine, but also for its creative contributions to Canadian culture.
Performers are getting younger. With an average age under 40, and a week’s worth of shows by emerging artists in the TD Young Jazz Series, the music is alive, well, hip, and going places.
(see document below for more)
| 2016pecjf.pdf |
Media Release: 2015 Festival Lineup
May 8 2015
Prince Edward County Jazz Festival - Aug. 11 - 16 - Fifteen Years in ’15!
Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue"
Guido Basso and Shakura S’Aida
Marika Galea Quartet - Tribute to Billie Holiday
Oliver Jones Quartet
Brian Barlow Big Band - "The Best of the Best"
The little festival that has grown into one of Canada’s most respected celebrations of jazz is fifteen years old this summer. Today, we announce a 2015 lineup of main-stage shows featuring an array of A-list artists pouring out a wide range of jazz that live music-lovers will simply not want to miss.
We are proud to announce that three of the last five winners of the “Rising Young Star” award…Marika Galea, Ian Wright and Eli Bennett…will perform in main-stage shows. Marika and Ian are also graduates of the Festival’s TD Jazz Education Program.
As usual, the festival will showcase some of the world’s best musicians from Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and south of the border. Festival-goers can also savour great jazz, great food, and great wine at many of the 30 satellite venues nestled throughout the “County” all week long.
(see document below for more)
Prince Edward County Jazz Festival - Aug. 11 - 16 - Fifteen Years in ’15!
Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue"
Guido Basso and Shakura S’Aida
Marika Galea Quartet - Tribute to Billie Holiday
Oliver Jones Quartet
Brian Barlow Big Band - "The Best of the Best"
The little festival that has grown into one of Canada’s most respected celebrations of jazz is fifteen years old this summer. Today, we announce a 2015 lineup of main-stage shows featuring an array of A-list artists pouring out a wide range of jazz that live music-lovers will simply not want to miss.
We are proud to announce that three of the last five winners of the “Rising Young Star” award…Marika Galea, Ian Wright and Eli Bennett…will perform in main-stage shows. Marika and Ian are also graduates of the Festival’s TD Jazz Education Program.
As usual, the festival will showcase some of the world’s best musicians from Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and south of the border. Festival-goers can also savour great jazz, great food, and great wine at many of the 30 satellite venues nestled throughout the “County” all week long.
(see document below for more)
| pecjazznews.docx |
PEC Jazz Festival sponsors at the 2015 Media Day event: (from left to right) Christopher and Norah Rogers, The Waring House; Scott Wentworth, Scott Wentworth Landscaping Group Ltd.; Elizabeth Crombie, Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty; Peter and Celia Sage, Sage Design & Construction; Brian Barlow, Creative Director, PEC Jazz Festival; Catharine Huff, Huff Estates; Ken and Janet Harnden, Pinnacle Music Studios and Yamaha Piano Dealership.
2014 Rising Young Star Chosen
May 14 2014
The Prince Edward County Jazz Festival is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2014 Rising Young Star Award is 21-year old Marika Galea from Toronto. Marika is currently a full scholarship student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, working towards a Bachelor of Music in performance and classical composition. She currently studies with bassist John Lockwood and has worked with other prestigious faculty, including John Patitucci. She has already performed with a number of highly acclaimed artists including Cyrus Chestnut, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Benny Green. Marika first performed in the County in 2011 at our TD Jazz Education Program as a member of the Agincourt Collegiate Institute jazz ensemble.
See our Rising Young Star page for more information on this award, generously sponsored by Hillier House.
The Prince Edward County Jazz Festival is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2014 Rising Young Star Award is 21-year old Marika Galea from Toronto. Marika is currently a full scholarship student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, working towards a Bachelor of Music in performance and classical composition. She currently studies with bassist John Lockwood and has worked with other prestigious faculty, including John Patitucci. She has already performed with a number of highly acclaimed artists including Cyrus Chestnut, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Benny Green. Marika first performed in the County in 2011 at our TD Jazz Education Program as a member of the Agincourt Collegiate Institute jazz ensemble.
See our Rising Young Star page for more information on this award, generously sponsored by Hillier House.
MEDIA Release: 2014 Festival Lineup
April 24 2014
Brubeck, Gershwin, Jim Hall Tributes Headline 2014 Prince Edward County Jazz Fest
Festival highlights New York’s Renee Rosnes Quartet, Remi Bolduc, David Braid, Guido Basso, Russ Little, and a unique guitar celebration...
(See .pdf file below for more)
Brubeck, Gershwin, Jim Hall Tributes Headline 2014 Prince Edward County Jazz Fest
Festival highlights New York’s Renee Rosnes Quartet, Remi Bolduc, David Braid, Guido Basso, Russ Little, and a unique guitar celebration...
(See .pdf file below for more)
| pec_media_day_2014_news_release_rev..pdf |
2013 FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
August 27 2013
Thanks to everyone involved for helping to make the 2013 Prince Edward County Jazz Festival such a success. Check out the photos below for a small sampling of this year's festival events. More to come!
Photos by Gilles Robert.
Thanks to everyone involved for helping to make the 2013 Prince Edward County Jazz Festival such a success. Check out the photos below for a small sampling of this year's festival events. More to come!
Photos by Gilles Robert.
Brian Barlow (left) and Andy Sparling (right) presenting an informal lecture on Benny Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall concert at Books & Company in Picton - August 13/13
Jazz Gala with the Dixie Demons at Huff Estates Winery in Picton - Ross Wooldridge (clarinet), Steve Crowe (trumpet), Al Kay (trombone), Doug Burrell (tuba), Chris Lamont (drums), Phil Disera (banjo) - August 14/13
Robi Botos (piano) and 2013 Rising Young Star Matthew Woroshyl (saxophone) performing at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Picton - August 16/13
NEW CD AVAILABLE: BEST OF THE FESTIVAL, VOLUME II
August 20 2013
Best of the Festival, Volume II now available for download!
Our new album features a collection of performances recorded at the Regent Theatre in Picton, Ontario from 2006 to 2011, and includes some of Canada's top jazz artists.
Click here to purchase
Best of the Festival, Volume II now available for download!
Our new album features a collection of performances recorded at the Regent Theatre in Picton, Ontario from 2006 to 2011, and includes some of Canada's top jazz artists.
Click here to purchase
ROAD TRIP: TD PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY JAZZ FESTIVAL
August 20 2013
"The conditions were perfect in Prince Edward County last weekend for enjoying wine, the beach, and jazz."
Click here to read more from Peter Hum of the Ottawa Citizen: http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/08/20/road-trip-td-prince-edward-county-jazz-festival/
"The conditions were perfect in Prince Edward County last weekend for enjoying wine, the beach, and jazz."
Click here to read more from Peter Hum of the Ottawa Citizen: http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/08/20/road-trip-td-prince-edward-county-jazz-festival/
IN THE NEWS...
May 22 2013
See below for a recent article about the 2013 Festival lineup, courtesy of Rick Conroy - The Wellington Times
(click on image for PDF version)
See below for a recent article about the 2013 Festival lineup, courtesy of Rick Conroy - The Wellington Times
(click on image for PDF version)
2013 Media Day
May 14 2013
The lineup for the 2013 Prince Edward County Jazz Festival was announced on May 10 at a Media Day event at Huff Estates Winery.
The lineup for the 2013 Prince Edward County Jazz Festival was announced on May 10 at a Media Day event at Huff Estates Winery.
Prince Edward County Jazz Festival major sponsors (above):
Back row: Mark Rashotte (Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty), Janet & Ken Harnden (Pinnacle Music Studios), Peter Sage (Elliott Sage Design & Construction), Aaron Bedard (Lexus of Kingston), Scott Wentworth (Scott Wentworth Landscape Group), Lanny Huff (Huff Estates Winery), Brian Barlow (Creative Director, PEC Jazz Festival)
Front Row: Colleen Galway & Elizabeth Crombie (Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty), Cynthia Silva-Stringer (TD Canada Trust), Noreen Kalman (Hillier House), Catharine Huff (Huff Estates Winery)
Not pictured: Norah Rogers (The Waring House), Susan Cooke (Cooke's Fine Foods)
Back row: Mark Rashotte (Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty), Janet & Ken Harnden (Pinnacle Music Studios), Peter Sage (Elliott Sage Design & Construction), Aaron Bedard (Lexus of Kingston), Scott Wentworth (Scott Wentworth Landscape Group), Lanny Huff (Huff Estates Winery), Brian Barlow (Creative Director, PEC Jazz Festival)
Front Row: Colleen Galway & Elizabeth Crombie (Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty), Cynthia Silva-Stringer (TD Canada Trust), Noreen Kalman (Hillier House), Catharine Huff (Huff Estates Winery)
Not pictured: Norah Rogers (The Waring House), Susan Cooke (Cooke's Fine Foods)
2013 RISING YOUNG STAR CHOSEN
May 10 2013
The Prince Edward County Jazz Festival is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2013 Rising Young Star Award is 21-year-old Matthew Woroshyl of Mississauga, Ontario. Matthew has just completed his studies in Jazz Performance at the University of Toronto and has been accepted at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in New York.
See our Rising Young Star page for more information on this award, generously sponsored by Hillier House.
The Prince Edward County Jazz Festival is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2013 Rising Young Star Award is 21-year-old Matthew Woroshyl of Mississauga, Ontario. Matthew has just completed his studies in Jazz Performance at the University of Toronto and has been accepted at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in New York.
See our Rising Young Star page for more information on this award, generously sponsored by Hillier House.
2013 TD JAZZ EDUCATION PROGRAM
February 19 2013
Visit our TD Jazz Education Program page to find out more about the 2013 program, which will be capped off with a great concert:
"Swing Into Spring"
Concert with the Brian Barlow Big Band, vocalist Barbra Lica, and 4 student jazz ensembles
Sunday, April 14, 2013 2:00 pm
Regent Theatre, Picton
Tickets: $30 Students & parents: $20
Tickets available on line at theregenttheatre.org or by calling the Regent Theatre box office at 613-476-8416
Visit our TD Jazz Education Program page to find out more about the 2013 program, which will be capped off with a great concert:
"Swing Into Spring"
Concert with the Brian Barlow Big Band, vocalist Barbra Lica, and 4 student jazz ensembles
Sunday, April 14, 2013 2:00 pm
Regent Theatre, Picton
Tickets: $30 Students & parents: $20
Tickets available on line at theregenttheatre.org or by calling the Regent Theatre box office at 613-476-8416
2012 Festival Highlights
August 20 2012
Thanks to everyone involved for making the 2012 Prince Edward County Jazz Festival such a success. Check out the great photos below.
Thanks to everyone involved for making the 2012 Prince Edward County Jazz Festival such a success. Check out the great photos below.
Canadian author and journalist Peter C. Newman (right) and PEC Jazz Festival Creative Director Brian Barlow (left) enjoying a discussion of "Big Bands and All That Jazz" at Books & Company in Picton - August 14/12
Barley Days Jazz Barbecue at Waring House in Picton - Guido Basso (flugelhorn) and Russ Little (trombone) with Bernie Senensky (piano), Steve Wallace (bass), and
Brian Barlow (drums) - August 15/12
Brian Barlow (drums) - August 15/12
Guido Basso on harmonica at the Barley Days Jazz Barbecue - August 15/12
Emilie-Claire Barlow at the Regent Theatre in Picton, with (from left) Reg Schwager, Davide DiRenzo, Ross MacIntyre and Kelly Jefferson - August 16/12
Legendary drummer Louis Hayes at the
Regent Theatre in Picton - August 17/12 |
Members of the Louis Hayes Cannonball Legacy Band with 2012 Rising Young Star Claire Devlin.
From left: Vincent Herring (alto sax), Richie Goods (bass), Jeremy Pelt (trumpet) - August 17/12 |
Tribute to George Shearing at the Regent Theatre - August 18/12.
Pictured: Reg Schwager (guitar), Neil Swainson (bass), Bernie Senensky (piano) |
Don Thompson performing a tribute to George Shearing - August 18/12
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Great jazz at Huff Estates Winery - August 18/12. Mike Francis (guitar), Neil Davis (bass). The Chameleon Jazz Band with Jamie MacPherson (banjo).
2012 Media Day
May 22 2012
The lineup for the 2012 Prince Edward County Jazz Festival was announced on May 11 at a Media Day event at Huff Estates Winery.
The lineup for the 2012 Prince Edward County Jazz Festival was announced on May 11 at a Media Day event at Huff Estates Winery.
Prince Edward County Jazz Festival major sponsors are from left to right: Cynthia Stringer (TD Canada Trust), Brian Barlow (Creative Director, PEC Jazz Festival),
Scott Wentworth (Scott Wentworth Landscape Group), Peter Sage (Elliott Sage Design & Construction), Elizabeth Crombie (Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty),
Norah Rogers (The Waring House), Marg Bass (Lexus of Kingston), Mark Rashotte (Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty)
Scott Wentworth (Scott Wentworth Landscape Group), Peter Sage (Elliott Sage Design & Construction), Elizabeth Crombie (Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty),
Norah Rogers (The Waring House), Marg Bass (Lexus of Kingston), Mark Rashotte (Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty)
Mark Rashotte comparing notes with colleague Elizabeth Crombie
Prince Edward County Jazz Festival major sponsors are from left to right. Back row: Peter Sage (Elliott Sage Design & Construction), Lanny Huff (Huff Estates Winery),
Brian Barlow (Creative Director, PEC Jazz Festival), Mark Rashotte (Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty). Front row: Scott Wentworth (Scott Wentworth Landscape Group), Elizabeth Crombie (Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty), Cynthia Stringer (TD Canada Trust), and Marg Bass (Lexus of Kingston)
Brian Barlow (Creative Director, PEC Jazz Festival), Mark Rashotte (Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty). Front row: Scott Wentworth (Scott Wentworth Landscape Group), Elizabeth Crombie (Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty), Cynthia Stringer (TD Canada Trust), and Marg Bass (Lexus of Kingston)
2012 TD Jazz Education Program
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April 20 2012
The 2012 TD Canada Trust Jazz Education Program was a great success. See below for photos from the April 14th concert, which featured the Brian Barlow Big Band with guest vocalist Barbra Lica and students from the participating high school jazz ensembles. |
The Brian Barlow Big Band. Back row, from left to right: Charlie Gray, Jason Logue, Blair Yarranton. Middle row: Michele Gagnon, Kelsley Grant, Russ Little, Doug Gibson. Front row: Perry White, Colleen Allen, John Johnson, Michael Stuart, Bob Leonard. Not pictured: Scott Alexander, Robi Botos, Brian Barlow.
Barbra Lica and Brian Barlow
Students from Agincourt Collegiate Institute (Toronto)
