Category: General

As part of this year’s City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival, Derry City and Strabane District Council have announced that applications are open for five £1,000 Young Persons Bursaries which will be awarded to up-and-coming musicians of Jazz inspired musical disciplines.

This year’s festival, which takes place from April 30^th to May 2^nd, is the 20^th edition of the Jazz Festival and to mark the special occasion, five t​alented young people will receive the substantial funds to help on their own musical journey.

The bursaries are open to candidates aged between 16 and 30 who require financial support to enhance and further their musical careers and the funding can be used for the likes of musical equipment; assistance to record music in a professional environment; music tuition or lessons; assistance towards higher educational fees; or any other element of the artist’s music that they would like Council to consider funding.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Brian Tierney, encouraged all young musicians who qualify with the criteria to apply.

“This is a really fantastic and exciting opportunity for our young local musicians of Jazz inspired disciplines to receive some financial support that I’m sure would go a long way in helping them achieve their end goal of growth within the music industry.

“We have so much talent within our city and district and we have seen countless incredible musicians come from our council area over the years. Now coming up to what is a special 20^th City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival, we feel that this is our opportunity to support that next generation of talent.

“I know it can be incredibly difficult to find your own path in a busy industry and to try and establish yourself so I’m sure that this opportunity is one that will pique the interest of many musicians within the discipline of Jazz, and I would encourage everyone who is interested to visit the website and fill out the application form.”

To apply for a bursary, visit https://cityofderryjazzfestival.com/bursary/ and fill in the application form. Guidance and eligibility criteria is also available to view online. Completed forms can be sent to [email protected] no later than Thursday 22nd April 2021. Awards will be announced no later than Sunday 2^nd May 2021.

Get ready for another special bank holiday weekend as jazz fever arrives for the 20th edition of the City of Derry Jazz and Big Band festival.

The festival will take place from Friday to Sunday and will see plenty of virtual performances from fan favourites and local students.

One of the highlights will include ‘Gigs from the Guildhall’ which will see nine acts performing virtually across three stages on each day of the festival, streamed live for everyone to enjoy from their own homes.

Something that will be sure to catch the eye of many Jazz Festival lovers will be the virtual live performance of festival favourites the Jive Aces on Friday night at 7pm that will bring back lots of memories of past years.

On Saturday at 7pm, Ulster University’s Jazz Trio, Matt Curran, Liam Bradley and Rohan Armstrong will deliver a virtual performance of “Straight No Chaser” by Thelonious Monk that is not to be missed.

North West Regional College will also be involved in the Jazz programme with masterclasses and performances delivered by Richard Nelson, Mike Nielson and Philip Begley marking the introduction of the MAPA Jazz Education program where well-known artists engage with music students and explore the wondrous world of Jazz.

Then, on Sunday at 7pm, music students from NWRC’s School of Music and Performing Arts will be virtually performing a series of cover tunes that have been adapted to a jazz setting.

You can expect to hear songs from a diverse mix of influences including Radiohead, Nina Simone, Motown artists, Peter Gabriel and lots more.

There will also be a visual arts exhibition and small Inside Out outdoor music trail of local acts.

And if that wasn’t enough, a special documentary will be available on Sunday at 3pm, covering the original launch of the City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival in 2002 and how it went from 6,000 attendees to the 63,000 that enjoyed the last in-person festival in 2019, with hundreds of acts playing over 70 venues in the city.

Through the ‘Legacy of Jazz’ documentary by local film maker Ruairi Campbell, you can hear from festival founders and Jazz artists who have taken part in the festival and a reflection on the journey to this stage.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Brian Tierney, said there will be no better way to celebrate the bank holiday weekend.

“The Jazz Festival is always such a fantastic occasion for our city and district and this year will be no different on what is a landmark edition for this event.

“Like last year the programme will be a virtual one, but that won’t stop everyone across our district and beyond enjoying the incredible talent of our local acts.

“There is so much to look forward to and so many festival favourites that I know everyone will be excited to see.

“After what has been one of the toughest years that many of us have faced, having such a positive event to look forward to and enjoy is a great boost. This event will celebrate so many of our amazing local musicians so make sure you tune in.”

The Inside Out Visual Arts Programme is organised by Derry City and Strabane District Council with funding through the Department of Communities’ Business Revitalisation and Recovery Programme. 

Performances will be streamed on the City of Derry Jazz Festival website and Facebook page.

Visit the website and see the full schedule of events at https://cityofderryjazzfestival.com/

Five young musicians from Derry and Strabane are celebrating this week after being awarded a £1,000 bursary each as part of the City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival.

The bursaries were open to any musicians of a jazz inspired discipline in the Council area aged between 16 and 30 who required financial support to enhance and further their musical careers.

Funding for the bursaries was provided by Derry City and Strabane District Council and Council worked in conjunction with North West Regional College and Ulster University’s School of Music in the final selection process.

Joseph Leighton, Callum Feeney, Kitija Ernstone, Diarmuid O’Kane and Mark McLaughlin were all chosen to receive the £1,000 bursaries to help them take the next step in their music journey.

23-year-old guitarist Joseph has toured as a sideman to many exciting countries in the world including Vietnam, Singapore, Lebanon and Jamaica, while 21-year-old Callum is a singer-songwriter who incorporates a number of different styles into his writing including, jazz, soul, folk and pop.

Kitija is a multi-instrumentalist specialising on alto saxophone and is currently a second-year undergraduate music student at Ulster University’s Magee Campus. The 28-year-old is a music artist and upcoming producer.

25-year-old Diarmuid is a performing musician and composer/arranger, and his career to date is varied and covers many genres of music and types of performances, while Mark is an aspiring singer/songwriter with a unique style and blending of genres such as jazz, rock and pop. Mark will soon be releasing his debut album at just 18.

Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Cllr Brian Tierney, said it was a real pleasure to congratulate the five young musicians on their success.

“I am truly delighted to award these bursaries to Joseph, Callum, Kitija, Diarmuid and Mark who all have such incredible talent.

“We were really pleased at the number of entries we received, and the standard was so high that it made it very tough to select just five out of the bunch,” explained Mayor Tierney.

“As part of the City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival, this year we are really focused on celebrating local talent and nobody typifies that more than this group of young people.

“As a Council we are delighted to supply this funding which will go a long way in helping them make the next steps in their career. It was also great to work alongside NWRC and Ulster University on this project.”

The 20th edition of the City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival takes place from Friday 30th April to Sunday 2nd May with a busy weekend of virtual performances and events. To see the schedule, visit https://cityofderryjazzfestival.com/

The Guildhall will be a hub of wonderful jazz next weekend as 27 acts take to the stage in the ‘heart of the city’ as part of the City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival.

‘Gigs at the Guildhall’ will involve nine different acts performing on each day of the festival, which is taking place from Friday 30^th April to Sunday 2^nd May. There will be three stages and sets will be performed from 12 noon – 1.30pm; 5pm – 6.30pm and 9pm – 10.30pm, with one act on each of the three stages during each slot.

Eve Blair, Mark Patterson and Micky Doherty will host different slots and the performances will be available to enjoy live on the Jazz Festival website and Facebook page.

A wide-range of local artists will be performing as part of the historic 20^th edition of the ever-popular festival and Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Brian Tierney, said there will be something to interest everyone.

“The schedule of performances for our ‘Gigs at the Guildhall’ will certainly get you excited about our 20^th City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival and will showcase some of our magnificent local musical talent coming right from the heart of our city.

“In line with COVID-19 restrictions these performances will be streamed online for the public to enjoy from their own homes, and I have no doubt that it will be sure to get plenty of people on their feet dancing and singing along.

“We are going to be spoiled with the amount of talent on display and I’m delighted that we will get to enjoy the music of so many local acts who are part of an industry that has faced an incredibly challenging year.

“This is a very special occasion for the City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival, and I think these gigs will be a very significant part of that celebration that will encompass the music that we all know and love, the favourites that we have enjoyed over the years, and even some that people have perhaps never had the pleasure of seeing before.

“I’m really looking forward to all of the gigs, and I’d encourage everyone to check out the schedule for themselves and make sure you’re tuned in throughout the weekend for some great music and entertainment!”

For the full schedule of performances, visit https://cityofderryjazzfestival.com/whats-on/

Derry City and Strabane District Council have revealed plans for the 20^th City of Derry Jazz Festival, which will take place from April 30^th to May 2^nd this year.

It is a special landmark for the festival, which began in 2002 and would normally see upwards of 60,000 people in attendance enjoying music and events across more than 70 different venues.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year will see a blended programme, featuring a mix of virtual concerts with some on-street entertainment.

One special segment of the programme will see an array of local artists who have all played in previous Jazz Festivals showcasing their music online from the Guildhall, with three gigs per day over three stages during the three days of the festival.​

Other exciting features include virtual performances from students at Ulster University’s Magee campus and from North West Regional College, and there will also be bursaries up for grabs for five up and coming young jazz artists.

Looking back on Jazz Festivals gone by will feature heavily in the programme, with a video covering the journey over years gone by, while there will also be a documentary style film reflecting on the past 19 editions of the festival and featuring interviews with acts who know and love the festival.

There will also be an outdoor jazz visual arts trail in the city centre for members of the public to enjoy safely and within COVID-19 restrictions.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Brian Tierney, said he is looking forward to the exciting programme for the Jazz Festival.

“The City of Derry Jazz Festival has become one of our staple events and there’s always a fantastic atmosphere that really lifts the whole city and district.

“Last year we were in the early stages of COVID-19 and had to move the whole festival online, and while we had hoped that we would be celebrating this significant 20^th edition in the typical fashion with bustling streets, I’m delighted to launch what I think is a really exciting and fitting programme for this very special occasion.

“We continue to put COVID-19 restrictions and the health of all members of the public at the centre of our planning and our events, and we will continue to closely monitor the situation in the lead up to the festival.

“Once again, we have a big focus on virtual events, and I’m pleased to see our young people and students will play their part in this year’s programme.

“It’s also great that we’ll be able to reflect on previous festivals, on how the Jazz Festival has grown and on all the acts and the people who have made this annual event what we know and love it to be today.

“The performances coming from the heart of the city – the Guildhall – will be really special, and the planned jazz trail throughout the city centre will bring great music and art to our streets.

“There’s lots to look forward to, so I’d advise everyone to check out the programme and get involved.”

For more, visit https://cityofderryjazzfestival.com/