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Reach*Teach*Play salutes jazz pianist Willie Pickens

Paramount to the success of Ravinia’s Reach*Teach*Play education

programs are the top-notch teaching artists—professional musicians

with thriving performance careers who take time from their busy

schedules to educate, train, and mentor the young people in our

programs. The late, great Willie Pickens (1931–2017), famed Chicago

jazz pianist and leader of Reach*Teach*Play’s flagship Ravinia Jazz

Mentors program, epitomized the ideal teaching artist—instilling a

passion for music and the values of dedication to artistic excellence,

self-discipline, optimism, and ambition in his students.

The Ravinia Jazz Mentors serve over 1,200 Chicago Public High School

students each year, performing as an ensemble in area schools and

conducting master classes for school jazz bands. Each year a group of

20 students, selected through audition, receive intensive training and

guidance from the Jazz Mentors. These Ravinia Jazz Scholars receive

four hours of instruction per week, scholarships to attend jazz camps,

and performance opportunities in local venues,

culminating with a Martin Theatre performance

during Ravinia’s summer concert season. Since its

inception in 1995, hundreds of young musicians

have benefitted from the Jazz Mentors initiative.

Many alumni have gone on to have professional

performance and teaching careers, and several

have credited Willie Pickens with providing the

foundation for their musical journeys.

In celebrating the life and legacy of Willie Pickens,

Ravinia salutes all of the Jazz Mentors as well as the

talented teaching artists in the Guest Artists in the

Classroom, Music Discovery, Ravinia Lawndale

Family Music School, and Sistema Ravinia

Orchestra programs.

Clockwise from left: Willie Pickens

performing for students in Bennett

Gordon Hall; Trumpeter Marquis Hill,

who was a member of the Ravinia Jazz

Scholars from 2002 to 2005 and is

now a featured artist on the Concord

label, having won the Thelonious

Monk Institute of Jazz Competition in

2014; The 2015 Ravinia Jazz Mentors,

gathered around lead mentor Willie

Pickens before the annual summer

Ravinia Jazz Mentors and Scholars

concert in the Martin Theatre

JULY 9 – JULY 22, 2018 | RAVINIA MAGAZINE

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