Next Jazz Legacy, a national apprenticeship program, is focused on moving towards a more inclusive future for women and non-binary musicians in the world of jazz music. Recently PBS NewsHour’s Arts and Culture series, Canvas, featured the program’s inaugural awardees in performance at The Kennedy Center.
This enlightening eight-minute segment also includes behind-the-scenes footage as well as interviews with Next Jazz co-founders Vanessa Reed and Terri Lyne Carrington.
I approach the stage, and a male musician immediately asks me, are you going to dance today or sing? So, that immediately diminishes my skills as a pianist.
Anastassiya Petrova, jazz pianist/organist from Kazakhstan
Throughout the program, the seven finalists have rehearsed and performed at jazz festivals, nightclubs, and other events with personalized apprenticeships and mentors such as Chris Potter, Esperanza Spalding, Tia Fuller, Lizz Wright, Marcus Miller, Linda May Han Oh, and Mary Halvorson.
Next Jazz Legacy is set to open admissions soon for the second class of awardees. For more info, head here.
