seen/unseen: Longy's 2021 Gala Invitation

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seen/unseen 7:00PM EST EXCLUSIVE BERNSTEIN AWARD RECEPTION ON ZOOM A conversation with Jamie Bernstein, Wynton Marsalis, and Ellis Marsalis III to celebrate the legacy of Ellis Marsalis, Jr.

8:00PM EST GALA CELEBRATION Join us behind the scenes to explore Longy’s immersive performances and innovative curriculum. Get an inside look at what it takes to make meaningful change through music.

Join us!

Longy’s

VIRTUAL GALA CELEBRATION MONDAY | 3.15.2021 HONORING ELLIS MARSALIS, JR. (1934–2020)

Leonard Bernstein Lifetime Achievement Award for the Elevation of Music in Society At Longy, we empower students to create. We give them the tools they need to launch their career, inspire audiences, and change the world.

Ellis Marsalis, Jr The father of six sons, Ellis Marsalis’ main importance to jazz may very well have been as a jazz educator; his former pupils (in addition to his sons) included Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Harry Connick, Jr., Nicholas Payton, and Kent and Marlon Jordan, among others.

Born in New Orleans in 1934, he started out as a tenor saxophonist, switching to piano while in high school. Marsalis was one of the few New Orleans musicians of the era who did not specialize in Dixieland or rhythm & blues. He played with fellow modernists (including Ed Blackwell) in the late ‘50s with AFO, recorded with Cannonball and Nat Adderley in the ‘60s, played with Al Hirt (1967-1970), and was busy as a teacher. Marsalis freelanced in New Orleans during the ‘70s and taught at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. An active performer, Marsalis toured often and was a frequent guest at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Ellis Marsalis died in New Orleans on April 1, 2020; he was 85 years old. photo: Patrick McMullan, Getty

Access for Equity Campaign Uprooting inequity in conservatory education This year, funds raised through Longy’s Gala Celebration will support the following priorities:

​Equity Scholarships​ We will provide five full scholarships for students from underrepresented communities who are unable to pay for their conservatory education.

Artistic and Social Change Fellowships​ We will offer five service-oriented fellowships that will help students develop skills to support their career goals, while providing them with necessary scholarship funds.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: The Next Level We are investing in a yearlong School-wide process, supported by experts in the field, to build on our past efforts and pave a path forward in equitable conservatory education. ​

Social Change Programs​ Students build strong partnerships, sharing their talents with vulnerable and under-resourced communities through Sistema Side-by-Side and Music as a Healing Art.

Learn more: longy.edu/access

Access for Equity Campaign and Gala Celebration Bronwyn Lamont and Rob Straus, Co-Chairs CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP DONORS AS OF FEBRUARY 10, 2021 Alchemy Foundation

Virginia Meany

Sandra and David Bakalar

Kristin Mortimer

Guido Brosio

Jane and Linton Moulding

James Brudvig

Christopher and Nancy Oddleifson

Gene and Lloyd Dahmen

Janet and Irving Plotkin

Emily Fisher

Lia and William Poorvu

Garth and Lindsay Greimann

Win Quayle and Deborah Manegold

Harriet and David Griesinger

Donald and Jen Schroeder

Bronwyn and Jeffrey Lamont

Rob Straus

Marcy and Tim Lippold

Jeannette and Arthur Taylor

Ruth McKay and Don Campbell

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