Directed by the Grammy Award-winning Dr. Aaron Lington, our High School All Stars (HSAS) program is designed to help students achieve mastery of improvisation techniques while advancing their knowledge of music theory, arranging, composition, performance and jazz history. The group rehearses weekly at San José State University and performs in professional venues all over the region.
In the recent past, HSAS has performed at the San Jose Jazz Summer and Winter Fests, Monterey Jazz Festival, Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival, Joint Venture Silicon Valley “State of the Valley” and the “Season of Hope” Series at St. Joseph’s Cathedral. Recent graduates have gone on to attend music programs at New York University, University of Southern California, Eastman School of Music, Oberlin College, Florida State University, California State University Northridge and San Jose State University.
Covid-19 has put the High School All Stars program on hiatus for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. We look forward to auditioning a new crop of students in October 2020.
The High School All Stars program is supported by San José State University.
– NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater, after HSAS opened for her concert
Aaron Lington is a San José State University music professor and director of its Jazz Studies Program. He is an accomplished music educator, composer and saxophonist. California Music Educators Association (CMEA) named him Jazz Educator of the Year; DownBeat magazine has twice recognized him as a “Rising Star” in the Baritone Saxophone category. Aaron has adjudicated over 20 jazz festivals in the United States, including Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival and Folsom Jazz Festival. He frequently performs with his own Quintet, and has performed with the San José Symphony, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra and many others. Dr. Lington earned his BA in Music from the University of Houston Moores School of Music, his Masters in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas, and his Doctorate in Saxophone Performance from the University of North Texas. He is a 2014 Grammy Award winner for his performance and composition work with Pacific Mambo Orchestra.
Program contact:Scott Fultonscottf@sanjosejazz.org408 288.7557, x2335
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