Live performance fundraises for scholarships, authorized providers

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Todd “Parney” Parnell, chief coordinating officer of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, conducts Jazz Orchestra I throughout the Jazz4Justice live performance. Picture by Alessandro Latour

Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves, Spectrum Editor

The viewers roared in applause as a brand new instrument easily started to play. Heads bopped subconsciously throughout totally different songs and a collective disenchanted sigh sounded when the conductor introduced the final music of the evening had arrived.

Sanika Pinpulkar, viewers member and sophomore biology pupil, attended her first “Jazz4Justice” live performance in assist of her boyfriend on Thursday on the Sonia Vlahcevic Live performance Corridor, positioned in VCU’s Singleton Middle.

“I feel it’s actually cool, they usually’re elevating cash for getting authorized providers for lots of various individuals,” Pinpulkar mentioned. “That’s an necessary trigger, and the authorized world has mashed into the music world this fashion.”

VCUarts Music and Better Richmond Bar Basis, or GRBF, got here collectively for its eighth annual partnership for J4J, which is a collaborative effort to boost cash by means of donations and ticket income for authorized assist and music scholarships.

GRBF is a authorized assist group that connects attorneys to instances the place they will volunteer their time, in accordance with GRBF’s Director of Administration and Packages Shane Harper.

Harper mentioned VCU’s J4J concert events have raised “at the least” $150,000 for the trigger in complete since its inception in 2015.

The live performance was a fundraiser which after bills donated half the proceeds to GRBF’s professional bono initiatives, and the opposite half went to Jazz Research scholarships, in accordance with Antonio García, the director for J4J scholarships and Jazz Orchestra I director. 

García mentioned he and the school handpick 5 college students to take 50% of the evening’s funds.

“The J4J scholarship is essential to me as a result of it means I can dedicate extra time to my craft and fewer time to working,” saxophonist and scholarship recipient Nathan Fussell said in his scholarship comment. “This may positively assist me throughout my senior 12 months on this program.”

García mentioned J4J has collaborated with many universities throughout Virginia, however mentioned VCU’s differs within the variety of ensembles, as a result of the college has two “massive” bands, a vocal group and a combo of scholars who obtained scholarships. García mentioned the live performance takes lots of planning as a result of the performers are “by no means in the identical room collectively.”

When the choir got here on, the viewers needed to guess who was singing which half due to masks the performers have been carrying. The attractive harmonies blended collectively have been nothing wanting angelic. 

One other distinction distinctive to VCU’s J4J is the invitation of a visitor conductor. García mentioned J4J have had a variety of various individuals — some from the authorized group, a politician, a meteorologist and a mayor. This 12 months was no exception as Todd “Parney” Parnell, the vp and chief working officer of the Richmond’s minor league baseball workforce, the Flying Squirrels, visitor performed for J4J.

The Flying Squirrels’ mascot cheered on Parnell’s stage entrance. Parnell wore a St. Patrick’s Day-themed set of pants and shirt with a glittery rainbow blazer. He used a baseball bat as his conducting baton and danced throughout your entire quantity, making the viewers snigger all through. García mentioned there have been no prior rehearsals with the Flying Squirrels.

García mentioned the music chosen was oriented particularly in direction of the concept of social justice or equality, which was not a “stretch” as a result of jazz and social justice have historical past “hand-in-hand.” 

“Even when the piece itself isn’t essentially waving a social justice flag, it’s [the music] nonetheless highlighting somebody who has that voice,” García mentioned.

The live performance included music from a plethora of various artists, corresponding to Basic Grant, Oliver Nelson, Archie Shepp, Michael Jackson and extra. 

“Jazz musicians have usually written music in celebration of human rights or in protest of injustice, segregation and racism for 100 years now,” García mentioned. “There’s a library of music that has been expressive from the Jazz musicians literature about life on this planet and the USA in any given group.”



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