This concert features Cape Ann Jazz Workshop faculty and the highly skilled student ensemble, the Jazz Messengers, along with Grammy-nominated jazz pianist Christian Sands, who joins the workshop as a mentor this year.
The Jazz Messengers are students selected to be part of this high-level intensive group who learn about advanced jazz performance, gain jazz education experience by taking on a Teaching Assistant role, and cultivate leadership skills through performance opportunities. Learn more
ABOUT ALEXA TARANTINO
The vibrant and versatile jazz saxophone & woodwind artist has been triple-nominated as a Rising Star Alto Saxophonist by Downbeat Magazine’s Critics’ Poll from 2020-2022, was named one of the Top 5 Alto Saxophonists of 2019 by the JazzTimes Critics’ Poll, and was one of 100 alumni to receive the Centennial Award from the Eastman School of Music (2022). Alexa “lights up rooms when she [plays]” (JazzTimes). Her radiant spirit and artistry uplifts and inspires her audiences one performance at a time.
She has performed regularly as a leader and sidewoman in a wide variety of ensembles and genres including the Wynton Marsalis Septet, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Cecile McLorin Salvant Quintet and OGRESSE ensembles, Ulysses Owens Jr.’s Generation Y and Big Band, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra.Her records (Firefly, Clarity, Winds of Change) and compositions have consistently topped jazz radio charts, and her discography includes 25+ released recordings as a leader and/or sidewoman.
Tarantino is currently on faculty for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Youth Education Programs and directs one of their High School Jazz Academy big bands. She has also taken on a larger role in JALC’s Jazz for Young People Program, bringing music to New York City schools. She holds a master’s degree in Jazz Studies from The Juilliard School and bachelor’s degrees in Jazz Saxophone Performance and Music Education with a certificate in Arts Leadership from the Eastman School of Music. Alexa is Founder and Artistic Director of the Cape Ann Jazz Workshop in Rockport, Massachusetts (est. 2014).
Alexa Tarantino is a Vandoren Artist and a Yamaha Performing Artist.
ABOUT CHRISTIAN SANDS
Christian Sands’ star continues to rise as he brings a fresh perspective to the jazz world through his masterful piano playing and bold artistic vision. Known for his expressive style and versatility, Sands seamlessly blends tradition with innovation, drawing from a wide range of techniques and influences.
A musical prodigy from an early age, Sands began formal piano lessons at age four, composed his first piece by five, and was performing publicly by ten. His talent and dedication led him to study at the Manhattan School of Music, laying the foundation for a dynamic career.
Over the years, Sands has collaborated with jazz luminaries such as Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Christian McBride, earning his place among the genre’s leading voices. With multiple Grammy nominations, acclaimed international performances, and the recent honor of being named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture, Christian Sands continues to shape the future of jazz—one performance at a time.
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