I’m so honored to announce that the Quartet (Jim Ridl, Dean Johnson, Tim Horner) and I have been selected by the U.S. State Departments prestigious American Music Abroad program for 2019. What this means is that we will tour internationally representing our country playing concerts and giving masterclasses.
The American Music Abroad program is designed to communicate America’s rich musical contributions to the global music scene as it fosters cross-cultural communication and people-to-people connection to global audiences. These tours focus on younger and under-served audiences in over 40 countries around the world with little or no access to live American musical performances. On their website, they say “American Music Abroad ensembles are currently expected to travel in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America and Eastern Europe.” Exactly where we will be going is not yet known but as soon as the details are locked in, we’ll let you know.
Before we head off to parts unknown we will also partake in an American Music Abroad “@Home program” in Washington, D.C., which includes performances and workshops at schools in under-served communities, immigrant community centers and foreign embassies.
My deepest appreciation to Dean Johnson and Tim Horner, and especially Jim and Kathy Ridl for leading us here. It took everyone’s hard work and dedication to make this happen and I couldn’t feel more proud or honored for this privilege.
More Information about the program and the other ensembles that have been selected can be found at their website.
Here’s what Broadway World had to say about it …
“Jazz Philadelphia, the non-profit organization created to promote Philadelphia’s thriving jazz scene and prolific jazz history, is proud to announce that two local artists – Paul Jost and Laurin Talese — have been selected to be among 17 U.S. bands representing the diversity of American music to embark on two-week international tours in 2019-2020 as part of the American Music Abroad (AMA) international cultural exchange. AMA, created in 1957, is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, implemented by the Association of American Voices. AMA fosters cross-cultural connections while showcasing America’s rich and diverse musical traditions to a global audience.
After competitive auditions, Vineland, NJ’s Paul Jost and Philadelphia’s Laurin Talese, will be a part of AMA, representing the genre of Jazz for the United States. During their tours, the bands will collaborate with local musicians, hold workshops and classes, and perform at community events. Final bands were chosen through a rigorous application and audition process. The AMA judging panel selected 45 bands to audition live from an application pool of nearly 250 bands representing 34 states. The finalists were evaluated for musical talent and their commitment to outreach and education, which will be significant elements of their programming overseas.