Rio Alumni Gordon Au
Welcome to the Institute of Jazz Performance Class of 2009
In August, the Institute will welcome its seventh class of students to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, our intensive, two-year graduate level college program. These talented young musicians will study tuition-free with the greatest living jazz masters, including Ron Carter, Nnenna Freelon, Benny Golson, Lewis Nash, Danilo Perez, and other internationally renowned musicians and performers who will travel to New Orleans to serve as Artists-in- Residence.

The Institute of Jazz Performance seeks to recreate the nurturing environment of the 1940s and '50s when Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and others would congregate at Thelonious Monk's house to learn from each other and share their musical knowledge. Every two years, the Institute of Jazz Performance selects a handful of students to participate in the program. These young musicians come from around the world and are chosen based on their talent, dedication, and potential. The students study both individually and as a small group, receiving personal mentoring, ensemble coaching, and lectures on jazz tradition.


Members of the Class of 2009 include:
Trumpeter Gordon Au of Carmichael, California; bassist Joe Johnson of Kansas City, Missouri; vocalist Johnaye Kendrick of San Diego, California; guitarist David Mooney of New Orleans, Louisiana; pianist Vadim Neselovsky of Odessa, Ukraine; saxophonist Jake Saslow of Northport, New York; and drummer Colin Stranahan of Denver, Colorado.

Source: 2007 Summer Update / Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance