It’s hard to believe that it was over a year ago that we starting discussing our Jump for Joy concert. There was great excitement in the room as we discussed the possibility of commissioning Dave Douglas to write something for Turning Point Ensemble. What an incredible opportunity for us!
With a little help from our TPE friends, and a partnership with the Langley Community Music School, we were able to create a fantastic show which included not only one world premiere but two when Langley helped commission a new work by their alumnus, jazz musician Brad Turner. Add a bit of Ellington (thanks Fred Stride!) and Stravinsky and we had a blockbuster show!
Tonight we travel to Langley – and if you haven’t been to the Rose Gellert Hall, it is exceptional – for the world premiere of “Sand Hill” by Dave Douglas (who, incidentally, wrote much of the music at Aaron Copland’s desk thanks to the generous support of the Aaron Copland Foundation) and Brad Turner’s “Seven Scenes from a Childhood”. Fred Stride has arranged the Ellington pieces and Jennifer Scott joins us to sing both Ellington and Stravinsky.
- Dave Douglas with Fanny Kiefer
A big thanks to all the organizations that “jumped” on board this project – Dave Douglas, Brad Turner, Jennifer Scott, Fred Stride, Susan Magnusson and Elizabeth Bergmann at the Langley Community Music School, Alexandra Gray, Ken Pickering and the team at Coastal Jazz and Blues and everyone else!
If you can’t make it to Langley tonight, join us in Vancouver at SFU Woodward’s at 8pm on Sunday April 1st
