For middle and secondary school students, the JAZZ.FM91 Youth Big Band provides an opportunity for exceptional student musicians to hone their skills and interact in a diverse, professional setting. The band rehearses each Saturday at the JAZZ.FM91 studios in Toronto’s Liberty Village. The students receive regular workshops on improvisation, ensemble playing and jazz techniques from some of Canada’s foremost music educators and musicians.
The JAZZ.FM91 Youth Big Band performs extensively throughout the year with appearances at our Sound of Jazz Concert Series, as well as various festivals and special events.
For nearly a decade, the JAZZ.FM91 Youth Big Band has shared the stage with legendary jazz figures, such as Joey DeFrancesco, Bucky Pizzarelli, Tom Scott, Lew Tabackin, Guido Basso and Al Jarreau. They have appeared with Canadian guests, including Shirantha Beddage, Kelly Jefferson, Alistair Kay, Brian O’Kane, Sundar Viswanathan, and Ron Westray.
Additionally, they have performed with the Thelma Yellin Big Band (Tel Aviv, Israel), Jazz Ensemble I (Montreal, PQ), the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra (Monterey, CA), the University of Toronto Jazz Orchestra, and the York University Jazz Orchestra. Alumni from the group have gone onto further their studies at the Berklee College of Music, the Brubeck Institute, Humber College, McGill University, the New England Conservatory and the University of Toronto.
