The Institute’s International Jazz
Piano Competition is recognized as the world’s most prestigious jazz
competition.  Through the competition and the Institute’s numerous
educational programs, the Institute is committed to identifying and
training promising young jazz musicians who will preserve the traditions
of jazz while expanding the music in new directions.

“Twenty-five
years ago, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz was created to
celebrate the cultural and historical importance of jazz music and to
cultivate jazz education.  Jazz is America’s greatest musical contribution to the world and is vital to our national identity,” said Thomas R. Carter, Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz President.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the strides that the Institute has made
in furthering jazz education and nurturing the next masters of the art
form.”

Highlights of the 25th Anniversary celebration include:

The 2011 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition Semifinals
– Twelve semifinalists from around the world will compete and the three
finalists will be announced at the end of the program. Judges include Herbie Hancock, Ellis Marsalis, Danilo Perez and Jason Moran. (Sunday, September 11 from 1 PM to 5 PM in Baird Auditorium at the Smithsonian Institution, sponsored by Cadillac)

All-Star Gala Concert – The 25th Anniversary Celebration, co-chaired by Madeleine Albright, Quincy Jones, Debra Lee and Colin Powell, will feature an appearance by Aretha Franklin,
the Institute’s Founder’s Award honoree.  As a part of the evening, the
three finalists will compete for scholarship prizes and a recording
contract with Concord Music Group, and Thelonious Monk International
Jazz Competition winners from the past 25 years will perform a special
tribute to the life and music of Thelonious Monk.
 The winner of the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano
Competition will be announced, and leading jazz artists of multiple
generations will be on hand to perform a wide range of music and styles.
 (Monday, September 12 at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater sponsored by Cadillac)

Assembly Program at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts – A special informance (informational performance) will be presented for hundreds of students by Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Heath, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ben Williams,
and others. The artists will discuss the rich history of jazz and
perform a special selection of music demonstrating the many styles of
this American art form.  (Tuesday, September 13 at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts)

About the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
The
Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, a nonprofit jazz education
organization, was founded in 1986 in memory of the legendary jazz
pianist and composer Thelonious Sphere Monk. The Institute fosters the
next generation of jazz greats by offering the world’s most promising
young musicians college level training by internationally recognized
jazz masters, educating young people around the world about jazz through
innovative public school programs, and presenting a wide range of
initiatives that expand and perpetuate America’s indigenous musical art
form.  
Visit the Institute at www.monkinstitute.org.

About the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition
Since
1987, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz has presented the
Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, which is recognized as
the world’s most prestigious jazz competition and for discovering the
next generation of jazz masters.  Each year, major scholarships and
prizes including recording contracts are awarded to the talented young
musicians participating in the Competition. The scholarships help pay
tuition for college-level jazz education studies and provide funds for
private, specialized instruction.  Past judges have included Dave Brubeck, Quincy Jones, Diana Krall, Branford Marsalis, Al Jarreau, Marian McPartland, Pat Metheny, and many others.

Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz