Heights choir joins jazz pros for evening jam

Rising star jazz trumpeter Dominick Farinacci, an Artist in Residence for the Tri-C Young Visiting Artists, will finish a day of educational workshops with a Unity concert that will include the Cleveland Heights High A Cappella Choir and Singers, along with four stellar jazz musicians and the Tri-C JazzFest High School All-Stars.

The concert will take place Feb. 20, at 7 p.m., in the Main Stage Theatre on the Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) Metro Campus. It will be preceded by a day-long residency, featuring workshops, films and jam sessions. All activities, which are open to the public, will take place at the Center for Creative Arts (Room 310) and the Tri-C Main Stage Theatre.

Terri Pontremoli, director of Jazz@Tri-C, is excited about the ongoing collaboration between the Young Visiting Artists program and Heights schools. "The rich tradition of music in Cleveland Heights is something that we at Tri-C want to tap into and enhance with world class jazz education,” she says. “The dedication to the arts from Superintendent Doug Heuer, Mosaic Principal Joe Nohra and Choir Director Craig McCaughey makes them wonderful collaborators. The kids are also awesome!"

Artists joining Farinacci for the workshops and in concert are drummer Rodney Green, who has played with Diana Krall’s band and other jazz greats; pianist Aaron Diehl, the 2011 Cole Porter Fellow in Jazz of the American Piano Association; bassist Yasushi Nakamura, who has played at Birdland, the Jazz Standard and Blue Note; and vocalist Charenee Wade, first runner-up at the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Vocal competition.

New York-based Farinacci is a Cleveland-area native who was discovered by Wynton Marsalis at Tri-C JazzFest when he was just 17. In his role as Artist in Residence, Farinacci is helping bring young, well-established bandleaders to Cleveland throughout the year to engage in performances, workshops and visits to area schools. In addition to coaching students and collaborating with Tri-C faculty, the visiting artists will also be involved in the discovery and development of budding young talent in Cleveland.

Tickets for the concert ($10) can be purchased at 216-987-4444 or www.tricjazzfest.com. Tri-C’s Main Stage Theatre is located at 2809 Woodland Ave. (between E. 30th and E. 22nd streets.). Free, secure underground parking is available at Lot 5, near the entrance of the college’s Center for Creative Arts.