Message from the President & Head of School

It’s been nearly one year since we decided to take a hiatus from Idyllwild Arts’ annual Jazz In The Pines festival. Since that decision, I have met bi-monthly with several key figures of Idyllwild Arts to consider how we might re-envision this iconic event. I am grateful to Bob Boss, Rose Colella, Evan Christopher, Mark Davis, Tom Hynes, Keith Miller, Harry Pickens, Chris Reba, Palencia Turner, Wendy Winks, and of course, Marshall Hawkins for taking seriously the future of jazz at Idyllwild Arts. After several meetings, independent and collective thinking, we were able to articulate that the mission of Jazz In The Pines is to “support and empower the students of Idyllwild Arts through an inter-generational teaching-artist model anchored in the strategies of jazz music and the artistry of its greatest practitioners.”

In June, I watched as 70 young jazz enthusiasts came to campus to participate in our annual Jazz Intensive program that takes place two weeks every summer. On that Monday, they eagerly waited to audition with the hope of securing one of the top spots in the band and work with this All Star faculty that includes multi-Grammy winner John Daversa, Yamaha recording artist Wayne Bergeron, iTunes “Rising Star of Jazz” Frank Fontaine, pianist, educator and composer Barb Catlin, and trombonist and musical director Francisco Torres to name just a few. These students have come to study Jazz…at Idyllwild Arts…In The Pines.

From our earliest days Idyllwild Arts has been bringing together practitioners and enthusiasts to explore and learn on the campus of Idyllwild Arts in the idyllic location of Idyllwild. This has continued through to the present day when young classical musicians attend our Summer Program to be under the baton of Larry Livingston or be inspired by John Walz, Edith Orloff and Roger Wilkie of the famed Pacific Trio. When Jazz In The Pines returns, it will do so in the tradition of bringing together students with practicing artists to study the music of the masters, to explore humanity through multi-generational conversations and lectures, and to hear music performed by practitioners.

You’ll hear more about Jazz In The Pines 2020 as activities take shape for the coming year, so please mark your calendars now for June 28 – July 11, 2020. In the meantime, I hope that you visit the campus throughout the year to hear our young, budding jazz artists and the faculty who teach and inspire them.

Warmly,

Pamela Jordan
President and Head of School