PUTNEY, Vt. – Next Stage Arts is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant from the Chamber Music America 2024 Presenter Consortium for Jazz Program. This grant will facilitate the presentation of a concert featuring the NYC-based Christine Correa Ensemble on March 10, at Next Stage Arts in Putney.
Chamber Music America is a respected national organization supporting chamber music initiatives across the country. The Presenter Consortium for Jazz Program specifically aids organizations like Next Stage Arts Project in bringing quality jazz performances to diverse audiences, and is a component of the Doris Duke Jazz Ensembles Project. Presenter Consortium for Jazz is funded by the Doris Duke Foundation.
“We’re grateful for the support from Chamber Music America,” says Keith Marks, executive director of Next Stage Arts Project. “This grant allows us to continue our mission of offering diverse musical experiences to our community. We look forward to showcasing Christine Correa’s talent, and bringing an evening of jazz to our audience.”
The Christine Correa Ensemble will highlight Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite and Percussion Bitter Sweet, in order to celebrate the creative and activist legacy of Max Roach, a high profile artist who was an outspoken civil rights advocate and who used the arts as a catalyst for change.
For Correa and her five-member ensemble, honoring Roach’s work means approaching his innovative music and powerful performances with deep reverence and sympathy. As such, the ensemble’s goal is to stay as true to the spirit of the music as possible by returning to the powerful emotional and creative content with sincerity and artfulness. After the performance, there will be an opportunity for the audience to converse with the musicians, which aims to not only shed light on the historical and social context that informed Roach’s work, but will also provide an opportunity for audiences to reflect on their experiences of this work and its relevance in the present moment.
The Christine Correa Ensemble includes Christine Correa (vocals), Sam Newsome (soprano saxophone), Andrew Boudreau (piano), Kim Cass (bass), and Michael Sarin (drums).