Free jazz concert series coming to River Common in Wilkes-Barre July 13-27
From a press release:
The Riverfront Parks Committee and the Performing Arts Institute of Wyoming Seminary will host a free jazz concert series on the River Common in Wilkes-Barre on the remaining three Thursdays in July.
“Jazz in July Along the River” will be held from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. on July 13, 20, and 27 at the River Common Amphitheater (133 N. River St., Wilkes-Barre) overlooking the Susquehanna River.
The Performing Arts Institute, a three-to-six-week side-by-side summer program for serious students ages 12-18 of music, dance, jazz, and musical theater, runs June 25-Aug. 5 at Wyoming Seminary’s Upper School in Kingston. This intensive program offers opportunities to study and perform with professional artists and highly experienced teachers. PAI instrumental and vocal students receive daily masterclasses, weekly lessons, music education electives, and participate in five weekly performing ensembles: symphony orchestra, wind ensemble, jazz band, Masterworks Chorale, and Institute Chorus.
Musical theater students work collaboratively with professionals through daily theatrical classes and rehearsals, culminating in a full Broadway musical production; this summer’s program will feature David DeSilva’s smash hit “Fame the Musical,” which inspired a critically-acclaimed movie and a six-season television show. It runs Friday, Aug. 4 and Saturday, Aug. 5 at the Kirby Center for Creative Arts at Wyoming Seminary.
With choreography and instruction by highly regarded principal dancers, PAI’s dance program, for students ages 12-18, features classes in ballet, modern, improvisation, and jazz that builds up to a fully staged production on Sunday, July 23. PAI provides about 20 concerts, recitals, and performances, which are free and open to the public in the Kirby Center for Creative Arts.
In 1991, a group of visionary citizens, local business leaders, and city government representatives banded together to form the Riverfront Parks Committee, a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
It is the mission of the committee to improve the quality of life in the region through the rehabilitation, enhancement, and preservation of two historic and natural parklands along the Susquehanna River: Kirby Park Natural Area and Nesbitt Park. It encourages environmental awareness and stewardship through the development of educational programs and offers the region a safe, clean, and unique natural setting for year-round recreation.
For more information on “Jazz in July Along the River,” visit the Facebook event page.
See NEPA Scene’s photos of Wyoming Seminary students playing jazz with the David Bixler Quintet at the River Common here.
Photo by Robb Malloy/NEPA Scene
