Maria Schneider to Give Keynote at Jazz Connect Conference in January

The organizers of the Jazz Connect Conference announced today that composer/arranger/bandleader Maria Schneider will give the keynote presentation at the Conference on Thursday, January 5 at 12:15 pm.

Presented by JazzTimes and the Jazz Forward Coalition, the Jazz Connect Conference takes place on January 5-6, 2017 at Saint Peter's Church in New York City. The conference brings together members of the jazz community from all over the globe in a series of panels, workshops and events.

With a theme of "The Family of Jazz," Jazz Connect leads into both the APAP|NYC conference, which begins on that Friday, and Winter Jazzfest, which takes place on Friday and Saturday nights.

Pre-registration for the Jazz Connnect Conference is only $125 until September 30, with additional discounts for members of various organizations, such as APAP, ASCAP, BMI, Chamber Music America, Jazz Journalists Association, Jazz Corner, JazzWeek, SESAC, Local 802 and several others.

To register or receive more information, go to the Jazz Connect Conference website. Conference hotline is (617) 315-9158.

Keynote speaker Schneider has become a strong voice for music advocacy and in 2014, testified before the US Congressional Subcommittee on Intellectual Property about digital rights. She has also appeared on CNN, and has been quoted in numerous publications for her views on Spotify, Pandora, digital rights and music piracy. Most recently, she and concerned colleagues in New York have launched a widespread campaign on behalf of music-makers, MusicAnswers.org. You can see an interview with Schneider here.

Her recent collaboration with her orchestra and David Bowie resulted in his single called, "Sue (Or In A Season of Crime)," and brought her a 2016 GRAMMY (Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals). Schneider and her orchestra also received a 2016 GRAMMY for their latest work, The Thompson Fields (Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album).

Previous keynote speakers at Jazz Connect include Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Ben Cameron of the Doris Duke Foundation, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Bill Strickland of the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild. Schneider's speech will be part of the keynote session, which includes two "Solo Spots"-short TEDTalk-like presentations-as well as the presentation of the Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award. The Solo Spot speakers and the recipient of the Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award will be announced soon.