BMI Jazz Composers Workshop

THE BMI JAZZ COMPOSERS WORKSHOP PRESENTS ITS 34th ANNUAL SUMMER SHOWCASE

The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop will present the best big band and jazz orchestra compositions produced throughout the year at its 34th Annual Summer Showcase Concert. The evening will feature the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra, a 17-piece modern repertory ensemble made up of leading New York musicians, performing eight new compositions developed in the workshop this season. Additionally, the evening will feature a new commission from last year’s prize winner Helen Sung. The event is free and open to the public.

Musical Director, Andy Farber will be returning for his seventh year to lead the program alongside Assistant Musical Director and three-time GRAMMY-nominee, Alan Ferber. Farber teaches jazz composition and arranging at The Juilliard School in New York and has written arrangements for legendary artists including Shirley Horn and Jon Hendricks, as well as symphony orchestras including the Boston Pops Orchestra. Outside of the jazz arena, Farber also composes music for media that includes TV commercials, TV shows, web series, documentaries, and feature films. Returning for the second year, Ferber is an accomplished trombonist, composer and arranger who has written arrangements for Broadway star, Shoshana Bean, as well as Joni Mitchell and the Atlantic Brass Quintet. Currently, Ferber is an adjunct professor of jazz studies at New York University's Steinhardt School but has served as faculty at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair University, the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University and the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.

“BMI is thrilled to present the Jazz Composers Workshop Summer Showcase once again alongside our incredible directors Andy and Alan,” said Patrick Cook, BMI’s Senior Director, Jazz & Musical Theatre. "Every year we look forward to coming together to hear the remarkable works that are composed throughout the year and to award the Charlie Parker Prize to another deserving composer.”

The BMI Foundation will also award the 24th Annual Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize to the writer of the best new work composed in this year’s BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, determined by three judges, Ingrid Jensen, Geoffrey Keezer and Elio Villafranca. Past judges have included Alan Broadbent, Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Heath, Darcy J. Argue, John Fedchock, Ingrid Jensen, Slide Hampton and more. This year’s winning composer will receive the Manny Albam Commission, named in memory of the Workshop’s co-founder and longtime musical director, to compose a new piece for the 2024 showcase.

Since its founding in 1939, BMI has been deeply involved in the jazz community. Its continuation of the Jazz Composers Workshop is a testament to BMI's dedication to the jazz community and its Workshop members.

ABOUT BMI:

Celebrating over 80 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in over 20.6 million musical works created and owned by more than 1.3 million songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI’s repertoire, from chart toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year. For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit bmi.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BMI or stay connected through Broadcast Music, Inc.‘s Facebook page. Sign up for BMI’s The Weekly™ and receive our e-newsletter every week to stay up to date on all things music.