American Pianists Association’s Jazz Fellowship Awards | March 27th-28th, 2015

(from left to right): Christian Sands, Zach Lapidus,
Emmet Cohen, Kris Bowers, and Sullivan Fortner

American Pianists Association’s Jazz Fellowship Awards –
Semi-Finals on Friday, March 27
Finals on Saturday, March 28

Competition to be Judged by Amina Figarova,
Bill Charlap, Edward Simon, Billy Childs and Al Pryor
with Emcee Christian McBride & Guest Vocalist Dianne Reeves

NBC News Anchor Lester Holt Named Honorary Chair

On Friday, March 27, the American Pianists Association’s Jazz Fellowship Awards presented by REI Real Estate Services Semi-Finals presented by Barnes & Thornburg will take place at The Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis, IN featuring each of the 5 Finalists over two sets. The five Finalists, in no particular order, are: Christian Sands, Zach Lapidus, Emmet Cohen, Kris Bowers, and Sullivan Fortner.

On Saturday, March 28 the Finals presented by Ice Miller will take place at Hilbert Circle Theatre with each Finalist performing with five-time Grammy® Award-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves and the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra. The Finals will be judged by pianists Amina Figarova, Bill Charlap, Edward Simon, and Billy Childs as well as Mack Avenue Records Executive VP of A&R Al Pryor. The Finals will be streamed live featuring webcast host Christian McBride at www.americanpianists.org/live. The winner will be named the American Pianists Association’s Cole Porter Fellow in Jazz.

The Cole Porter Fellowship, valued at $100,000, includes a $50,000 cash prize (the largest prize in the world for a young jazz pianist), a recording contract with Mack Avenue Records, and career assistance and engagement for two years.

The Mission of the American Pianists Association is to advance the careers of American jazz and classical pianists between the ages of 18 – 30. The Organization was founded in 1979 in New York City and has been in Indianapolis since 1982. Past winners have included Aaron Diehl, Dan Tepfer and Aaron Parks, among esteemed others.

For more information on the American Pianists Association, please visit: AmericanPianists.org

Planning on posting to social media about the American Pianists Association’s
Jazz Fellowship Awards? Please use the following hashtag: #apajazz2015

The American Pianists Association is supported by REI Real Estate Services, the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the City of Indianapolis, Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, Lilly Endowment, Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, Christel DeHaan Family Foundation in honor of the children and families of Christel House, the Arts Council of Indianapolis, the Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency and in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, among others.

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