Seligman Center hosting jazz fest fundraiser

SUGAR LOAF — This summer will mark the debut of the Hudson Valley Jazz Festival Workshop to be held in Warwick during the week of Aug. 5 through 11. This Sunday, April 21, The Orange County Arts Council will host a fund raiser at the Seligman Center to help support the event.

Musicians from past and future festivals will be on hand to perform, including Adam Nussbaum, Jeff Ciampa, Michael D'Agostino, Mike Jackson, Michael Hickey, Richard Kimball, Bill McCrossen, Richie Morales, Larry Newcomb, Bob Rosen, Steve Rubin, Rick Savage, Gabriele Tranchina and Joe Vincent Tranchina,

The festival will be held Aug. 8-11, (developing schedule and locations at www.hudsonvalleyjazzfest.org).

The summer workshop will be directed by veteran musician and music educator Bob Rosen. Rosen has been teaching at New York City's Friends School for the past 26 years, having brought a jazz program to the school in the mid-1980s. He is the founder and artistic director of The Meetinghouse Jazz Orchestra, a 17-piece big band in New York in which he also plays saxophones and clarinet. In existence since 1994 the ensemble has performed at many venues in the New York area and in the Warwick Arts Festival. Rosen was assistant conductor of New York City's All-City Jazz Ensemble, a program run by New York's Board of Education.

"The model for this summer's workshop is a time-honored one that works," said Rosen. "It works for both the Western European classical tradition and for the historically more recent American jazz tradition. Offer a curriculum of instrumental instruction coupled with performance ensemble rehearsal with an emphasis on jazz improvisation."

For workshop details, contact Rosen at brosenmusic@gmail.com.

For more information on the jazz festival, contact warwickjazz@yahoo.com.

The Seligman Center is located at 23 White Oak Drive, Chester. A $20 donation is suggested.