Master guitarist Pat Martino to give clinics; Berklee professors to perform nightly at Hotel Brufani

BOSTON, MA (USA) June 25, 2002 – Ten Berklee College of Music faculty are packing up their instruments and lessons and heading for Perugia, Italy, to teach an intensive jazz workshop, July 9 - 21, for young musicians. Berklee Summer School at Umbria Jazz Clinics, now in its 17th year, is unique throughout Europe, allowing students to study by day, and listen to their musical heroes playing the Umbria Jazz Festival — and jam with their classmates — by night.

Berklee Summer School takes place throughout the Umbria Jazz Festival, giving participants an important homework assignment each night: hearing some of the most influential performers in jazz. At the end of this year's program, up to $60,000 in Berklee scholarships will be awarded to outstanding student musicians. Since the beginning of the program, more than $860,000 worth of scholarships have been awarded to nearly 200 students. Many of these students have excelled at Berklee, and gone on to prominent careers in the music industry.

Berklee Summer School at Umbria Jazz Clinics is the only official Berklee Summer Clinic in all of Europe. Over the last 17 years the college's partnership with the Umbria Jazz Festival and Umbria government, the Province of Perugia, and city of Perugia, has provided an unprecedented jazz education opportunity for more than 3,700 aspiring musicians from throughout Europe. Berklee's collaboration with Umbria Jazz is its oldest, continuing international project.

"We're extremely proud of our long and fruitful relationship with Umbria Jazz, and the educational work we have done in collaboration with the festival and with the support of the regional and city governments," said Gary Burton, Berklee Executive Vice President and five-time Grammy Award winner. "This is a truly unique situation, and one that has allowed us to offer a jazz clinic which we believe to be the finest in Europe."

Berklee Summer School in Umbria closely resembles the experience of studying at Berklee's Boston campus. Ten of the college's professors, with help from local musician/interpreters, teach classes in music theory, ear training, and improvisation; direct student ensembles; and give private vocal and instrument instruction.

Summer School faculty are Larry Monroe (co-director, conducting special lectures), Matt Marvuglio (flute and special lectures), Jeff Stout (trumpet and brass), Consuelo Candelaria (piano, ensemble, composition), Michael Williams (guitar, jazz theory, ensemble), Mark White (guitar, jazz theory, ensemble), Dave Clark (acoustic and electric bass, jazz theory, ensemble), Dino Govoni (saxophone, woodwinds, ensemble, improvisation), Ron Savage (drums, ensemble), and Donna McElroy (voice, ensemble, improvisation).

The faculty will be assisted by Marcello Allulli (saxophones, woodwinds), Maddalena Deodato (woodwinds, special lectures), David Boato (brass), Cinzia Gizzi (piano), Angelo Lombardo (guitar), Nicola Cordisco (guitar), Claudio Zanghieri (bass), Marco Volpe (drums), Stefania Rava (voice) and Daniela Schaechter (piano accompanist). Boato, Gizzi, Zanghieri, Volpe, and Rava are Berklee alumni; Schaechter is a current Berklee student; and Boato, Zanghieri, Rava and Schaechter are past recipients of Berklee scholarships during their participation as students at the Umbria Jazz Clinics.

The intensive, 24/7 atmosphere of Summer School demonstrates how Berklee students come to develop the technique, discipline, and musical "feel," that has put some among the most prominent musicians in the world. The days are consumed with learning, the evenings with the concerts of the festival, followed by jam sessions for the students and faculty that run far into the night.

Appearing on the Festival for ten nights will be members of Berklee's teaching team and their assistants, who will perform at the Hotel Brufani at approximately 10:30 p.m. In the same location, will be performances by the Thelonious Monk Institute "Monk Fellows Septet," six of whom are recent Berklee alumni.

Umbria Jazz performers often visit the Summer School to give clinics. Past guests have included Elvin Jones, Joe Zawinul, John McLaughlin, Joe Lovano, Wynton Marsalis, and Bobby McFerrin, to name a few. This year, legendary guitarist Pat Martino will conduct four days of special master classes for guitarists. Other established performers are expected to join the students at the school, located on the old city wall, in the Piazza del Drago.

Summer School is course-directed by Berklee Executive Vice President Gary Burton, Berklee Associate Vice President for International Programs Larry Monroe, Director of Umbria Jazz Clinics Giovanni Tommaso, and Director of Organization Sauro Peducci, with support from Umbria Jazz founder Carlo Pagnotta.

It was Pagnotta who initially asked for Berklee's support to co-develop a summer jazz clinic, in 1985. After the early sessions, word spread of Berklee's Monroe, his professors, and their new type of jazz education. Soon, scores of young musicians were bringing their instruments to Umbria Jazz and spending their days learning to do what their heroes do on the festival stages each night.

Many of these heroes performing during the Umbria Jazz Festival this year are themselves Berklee alumni, including John Scofield '73, Joe Lovano '72, Gary Burton '62, Makoto Ozone '83, Danilo Perez '88, George Mraz '70, Roy Hargrove '89, and members of the Monk Fellows Septet: Massimo Biolcati '01, Dayna Stephens '01, Ferenc Nemeth '00, Yoon-Seung Cho '00, Lionel Loueke '00, and Nick Vagenas '99, Brad Hatfield '75 and George Garzone '72.

Additionally, many of this year's festival performers are past recipients of honorary doctorate of music degrees from Berklee College of Music. They include: John Scofield H '97, Joe Lovano H '98, Dave Holland H '00, Wayne Shorter H '99, Chick Corea H '97, Michel Camilo H '00, Pat Metheny H '96 and Herbie Hancock H '86.

More than 200 students are expected at Summer School this year. Classes run from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. each day, with an afternoon break. Scholarships to Berklee in Boston will be awarded during a graduation ceremony and concert on July 21. For further information on Summer School, visit the Umbria Jazz site, www.umbriajazz.com.

Founded in 1945, Berklee College of Music has been advancing careers in contemporary music for more than 55 years. The world's largest independent college of music, Berklee has a multicultural enrollment of more than 3,400 students, 30 percent of whom are international. The college is the centerpiece of the Berklee International Network, an alliance of 14 leading schools of contemporary music, located throughout the world. Berklee alumni include some of the most respected figures in popular music, including many multi-Grammy award winners.

Photos, suitable for print or web applications, from last year's Umbria Jazz Clinics, are available for download.

For additional editorial information, please contact:

Emily Singer, Publicist

Until July 3
(U.S.) 617-747-2567
esinger@berklee.edu

July 8 - 21, in Perugia
Mobile 001-617-331-4424
At La Rosetta Hotel 075-57-20841