LOS
ANGELES (www.mee-j.com) - On Saturday June 11 2005 10:45 am on the Caf�
Stage, 'A" Street, Saxopoly, too! one of the instrumental ensembles of
Miraflores Music Academi�, returns to perform the Italian Street
Painting Festival in San Rafael. This select ongoing student saxophone
group under the direction of Marcia Mig�t has participated in this
Festival for the last seven years and performs locally at other local
venues.
Julie Levinson, a saxophonist for six years is junior
at San Rafael High School, runs cross country and plays varsity
basketball. Performing in both the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band she has
been studying with la Maestra Mig�t for the last five years. "Music
allows my brain to express emotions in a whole other language."
Another
San Rafael High School junior, Dorian Pandey also plays in the Wind
Ensemble as well as lead Alto saxophone in their Jazz Band. Having
studied piano since the age of five in eighth grade he began saxophone
with Ms. Mig�t. Playing varsity soccer he says, "Music is my choice to
communicate my emotions. It really gives me joy."
Boston-native
Andy Ross-Perry believes, "Music is the mortar that holds my temple
together." A member of the first graduating class of the Jewish
Community High School of the Bay, this eighteen-year old senior has
been studying saxophone for seven years. A national Scrabble champion
this skill extends into his sightreading. Interested in all genre of
music excepting bluegrass, Andy has already had his own rock band and
sees no tattoos in his future. His salient comment is, "Two rights
don't make a wrong, but three rights do make a left."
With the
same discipline and passion it takes to be a four-time Junior State
Wrestling Champion James Perdelwitz approaches music. A
multi-instrumentalist, whose primary instrument as saxophone, he's most
recently received the Top Individual Scholarship Award at the Santa
Cruz Jazz Festival. A participant in the CalPoly All State Honors Jazz
Band and recipient of the Reno Jazz Fest's Outstanding Musicianship
Award he was inspired by his fifth grade teacher. This sixteen year old
Marin School of the Arts sophomore wants to make a profession out of
performing music, and his sample statement is, "I can put all my
emotions into it, and I'm a really happy guy."
Director of
Saxopoly, too! Marcia Mig�t, is a 'Maestra' of many elements. A
multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and educator, Marcia's most
recent performances include the 2005 International Association of Jazz
Educators' with the African American Jazz Caucus Allstar Big Band (and
was the 2004 Featured Artist performing with the Historically Black
Colleges' University Allstar Band); the 2004 Monterey, Stern Grove and
Fillmore Jazz Festivals as the only female saxophonist with Anthony
Brown and the Asian American Orchestra; and with Wayne Wallace and Pete
Escovedo at Vallejo's Jazz Festival.
With skills that cross
multiple genres this year she's also recorded with Dr. Anthony Brown
and the Asian American Orchestra on his latest Big Band Project,
Gershwin; performed with the Northern California Lighthouse Singers
25th Anniversary conducted by Helen Stevens and Stephen Roberts; and
her latest project-as-producer is Passing the Baton: the Miget-Redd
Session Part 1 available on www.mee-j.com . Her performance pedigree
includes multiple appearances with Carlos Santana, and such notables as
Freddy Redd, Larry Ridley, Jimmy Cobb, Buddy Baker, Kenny Barron,
Orestes Vilato, Frank Foster, Donald Byrd, Chick Corea, Tyrone Hill of
Sun Ra's Arkestra, Carl Perazzo, Dimitri Methany, Phish, John Santos,
John Handy, Babatunde Lea, Abel Sanchez, Jorge Santana and the SF Kids,
Jaimeo Brown and Dartanyan Brown to name a few. "For me there's a
realtime balance in the musical education of children and performing.
My experiences indicate that music places one in 'a state of discovery'
making the individual receptive to learning and retention", says Mig�t.
Based
in the Bay Area since 1988, Miraflores Academi� has been, a preeminent
private school that has been the foundation for some of Marin's best
musical talent, as current and graduated students, e.g. Jeff Derby,
Jaimeo Brown, Alex Baky, J.J.Byars, Lou Wiskus, Robby Marshal, Isabella
Quereshi, Zach Gunsell, Dan Birch, Bram Kincheloe, Elecia Strauss, Seth
Paris, Kristina Hoffman, Andrew Capra and Salvador Santana, evidence.
These graduates, and many more, have been selected for prestigious
musical performance groups like the International Monterey High School
All-star Jazz Band, California High School All-State Band, California
High School All-State Concert Band, the San Francisco Jazz High School
Allstars and attend a number of institutions such as Oberlin College,
Sarah Lawrence, Berklee School of Music, the New School to Cal Arts,
Manhattan School, NYU, USC and UCLA or performing professionally with
such names as Bill Watrus, Mingus Big Band, and Greg Tardy. The array
of award-winning students from Miraflores have performed in such events
as the Duke Ellington Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, the
International Association of Jazz Educators' Convention, San Jose Jazz
Festival, San Francisco Jazz Festival, Santa Cruz Jazz Festival, and
Reno Jazz Festival.
Visit www.mee-j.com to stream a unique musical experience where you can listen with your Heart.
