Music Education Initiative Expanded During 60th Anniversary of Newport Jazz Festival

On August 1-3, music lovers of all ages will come together to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the legendary Newport Jazz Festival, which will feature three full days of jazz on three different stages at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island. Natixis Global Asset Management, one of the world's leading asset managers and presenting sponsor and long-standing supporter of the festival, will be partnering with the Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc., Boston Public Schools and JazzBoston to make music education a cornerstone of this year's festival.

"The Newport Jazz Festival is the finest celebration of jazz that the music world has to offer," said John Hailer, president and chief executive officer, Natixis Global Asset Management - The Americas and Asia. "In celebration of this year's anniversary, we launched the 2014 Jazz Diplomacy Project to share the history of jazz and explore the lessons the world has learned through the genre.

"We can think of no better setting to introduce young students, many of whom are aspiring musicians themselves, to the beauty and excitement of the culture of jazz and to begin the process of inspiring the next generation of jazz enthusiasts."

Natixis' continued partnership with the Newport Jazz Festival is a part of the organization's new "2014 Jazz Diplomacy Project," which includes a series of more than 200 events celebrating jazz and bringing together thought leaders to explore solutions to challenges facing the world today. As part of the Jazz Diplomacy Project, Natixis has provided support to the Foundation for the National Archives and the Berklee College of Music. Natixis will also be working with the Berklee BeanTown Festival to provide opportunities for extraordinary young artists to participate in professional venues as they pursue their musical dreams.

Partnership with Boston Public Schools and JazzBoston Sends 200 Kids to Newport Jazz Festival

As part of their commitment to investing in music education, Natixis and the Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc. have teamed up with the Boston Public School Visual and Performing Arts Department and JazzBoston. Together these organizations will make it possible for nearly 200 Boston public school students, ranging from elementary to high school, to attend the first day of the festival. Natixis will fund the students' transportation to Newport, the Newport Festivals Foundation will provide the tickets, and JazzBoston, which brought the partners together, has lined up three prominent jazz personalities - Emmett Price, Northeastern University music professor and national authority on youth culture, and jazz radio hosts Eric Jackson (WGBH) and Bonnie Johnson (WICN) - to join the students during their trip and provide information about the festival.

"We are committed to making certain that the Newport Jazz Festival has a far-reaching impact on younger generations," said George Wein, producer and chairman of the Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc. "Introducing students to jazz music and providing support and guidance to tomorrow's jazz greats is the only way to ensure that the festival will continue on for another 60 years."

"Our students are incredibly fortunate to have the invaluable opportunity of attending the Newport Jazz Festival," said Myran Parker-Brass, executive director for the arts, Boston Public Schools. "Providing young musicians with first-hand exposure to live performances and allowing them the chance to interact with passionate professionals is the most effective way to get them excited about the arts."

"JazzBoston is very excited about the potential of this partnership," said Pauline Bilsky, executive director of JazzBoston. "Connecting members of the jazz community is one of the most important things we do, and connecting young people to the music is another."

Natixis-Newport Scholarship Program Winners - Young Jazz Diplomats

In its fourth year, the Natixis scholarship program will continue its tradition of awarding two $5,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who have shown tremendous ability as jazz musicians and a desire to make a positive impression on society through their music. The scholarship awards will be presented at the Newport Jazz Festival and will be awarded to Alyssa Oates, a resident of West Warwick, Rhode Island and graduate of West Warwick High School, and Conor Fitzpatrick, a resident of Georgetown, Massachusetts and graduate of Ipswich High School.

These students are committed to enhancing their skills and changing the world through music.

"Jazz appeals to me because of the way it is played in a group," said Fitzpatrick. "People have heard that: 'no two nations sharing a McDonald's franchise will go to war' but I think an even more spiritual bond would be served by 'no two nations sharing jazz as a common language will even consider going to war.'"

Oates also believes in the power of jazz to make positive change. "Becoming a professional musician will enable me to make the lives of other people better with my performances," said Oates. "That will be my contribution to improving the world through the power of music."

About Natixis Global Asset Management, S.A.

Natixis Global Asset Management, S.A. (ngam.natixis.com) ranks among the world's largest asset managers based on assets under management1 and was recognized as the #1 U.S. mutual fund family for 2013 performance in the annual Barron's/Lipper Fund Family Ranking.2 As a multi-affiliate company, NGAM brings together the expertise of multiple specialized investment managers under one umbrella with the belief that this combined expertise offers unique market perspective. The firm spreads this same idea in the global community by sponsoring programs that help enrich the lives of individuals and preserve the cultural experience for future generations through music. The 2014 Jazz Diplomacy Project was launched as an extension of this ideal and aligns with NGAM's innovative approach to engaging thought leaders and harnessing the power of collaboration. Visit JazzDiplomacy.org or follow #jazzdiplomacy to learn more.

About Newport Festivals Foundation

The Newport Festivals Foundation was founded by George Wein in 2010 to build and continue the legacies of the famed Newport Jazz Festival and Newport Folk Festival. Under the auspices of the Foundation, the festivals present performers who respect and honor jazz and folk music traditions, and at the same time reflect the changes in today's musical trends. Through the establishment of partnerships with local high schools, colleges/universities and other organizations, the Foundation will present programs to educate young people about jazz and folk music as presented at the annual festivals. For more information, please visit www.newportfestivalsfoundation.org.

About Boston Public Schools

As the birthplace of public education in this nation, the Boston Public Schools, BPS, is committed to transforming the lives of all children through exemplary teaching in a world-class system of innovative, welcoming schools. We partner with the community, families and students to develop within every learner the knowledge, skill and character to excel in college, career and life. The BPS Visual and Performing Arts Department provides access to quality, sequential arts education for all BPS students. The department serves teachers, students, school leaders and families in broadening, deepening and celebrating learning in dance, music, theatre, visual, and media arts in Grades PreK-12. Learn more at www.bpsarts.org.

About JazzBoston

JazzBoston connects, promotes and advocates for the entire Greater Boston jazz scene. Our programs and services introduce jazz in all its forms to audiences of all ages. We bring jazz into schools and underserved communities, and use the music to bridge generational and cultural divides. We foster and expand opportunities for jazz musicians, and help raise Boston's profile as one of the world's great jazz cities. For more information, please visit www.jazzboston.org.

1 Cerulli Quantitative Update: Global Markets 2014 ranked Natixis Global Asset Management, S.A. as the 16th largest asset manager in the world based on assets under management as of December 31, 2013.

2 Barron's/Lipper 2013 one-year fund family ranking based on 64 qualifying U.S. fund companies. Each fund family must have at least three funds in Lipper's general U.S.-stock category, one world (global and international), one mixed-asset/balanced (stocks and bonds), two taxable bond and one tax-exempt bond fund. Natixis was not ranked for the 5- and 10-year periods. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. For more details visit ngam.natixis.com/TopFundFamily.

Image:Facebook

To post a comment, you must register and login.