Newberry College to Host 54th Annual Jazz Festival

NEWBERRY, S.C., March 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Newberry College
is set to host its 54th annual Jazz Festival this weekend, highlighting
high school jazz bands and performers from across the state. The
occasion is one of the longest-running jazz festivals in the country,
and will feature renowned bassists Victor Wooten and Steve Bailey, also known as Bass Extremes.

Wooten, a founding member of Bela Fleck
and the Fleckstones, has won multiple Grammy Awards and has been called
the most influential bassist of the last decade. Bailey, once a student
performer at the festival, has worked with such names as Dizzy
Gillespie, The Rippingtons and Willie Nelson.

Also performing
will be two All-State Bands, composed of outstanding high school
musicians from throughout the state who have been selected through
auditions. The Newberry College Jazz Big Band just finished its annual spring tour, and will perform a selection of music under the leadership of Bill Long, Associate Professor of Music and Director of Bands.

“This Jazz Festival is a great example of how Newberry College
sees the integration of music and the arts as an essential part of its
educational mission and of its role in the community,” said Newberry College President  Dr. V. Scott Koerwer.
“Both the college and the community have become an essential place for
young musicians to not only showcase their talents amidst such a high
caliber of performers, but also to continue to immerse themselves in the
vast world of music and the arts.” .

The performances are open and free to the public, and begin Saturday, March 5 at 11:30 a.m. at the Wiles Chapel on the Newberry Campus. The high school bands will perform for the judges starting at 9 a.m. in the Alumni Music Center.

About Newberry College

A private, residential, co-educational, college with a diverse student population, Newberry College
offers baccalaureate degrees in 24 majors, 31 minors, and 27 areas of
concentration. Founded in 1856 by the Lutheran Church, the college is
accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the
National Association of Schools of Music. The college has a radio and
television station, and offers 15 NCAA Division II sports. In the recent
2011 ranking of the Best Colleges in U.S. News & World Report, Newberry College placed in the top tier of regional colleges in the South.  For more information, visit www.newberry.edu.

Newberry College