The Warren Conservatory of Music hosts a future jazz master for a week-long camp.
The camp runs from August 22-26 and is free for Warren County youth in grades 5-12. It is aimed at students who already play an instrument.
“The workshop will have a strong focus on improvisation, with a performance and open house at the end of the week,” said Joe Glarner, the conservatory’s director of music.
The students perform with Glarner and other local teachers and with Mikel Prester.
“Mikel Prester is emerging as one of the new masters of jazz,” according to Glarner’s bio. “Born in Philadelphia and raised in Meadville, Mr. Prester has had a love affair with music since the age of 8. His musical roots are deeply rooted in blues and gospel music through the late Duchess Overton A.M.E. of Bethel Church. She was his first mentor.
Primarily an alto saxophonist, Prester studied at the Pennsylvania Governor’s School of the Arts and received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Philadelphia University of the Arts.
“While there, he had the pleasure of having the best and finest players and teachers in the world,” the bio reads. “Mikel’s highlight in college was studying with Greg Osby. Mr. Prester has performed with heavy hitters such as Wynton Marsalis, Ian Hendrickson-Smith, Harlem Boys Choir, Vienna Boys Choir, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, among others.
The camp, which is open to students who are conservatory members and those who are not, is sponsored by the Erie Arts and Culture Authority and the conservatory. “Because learning through the arts builds and strengthens the soft skills necessary to live an enriched life in today’s ever-changing world, EAC envisions a region where every person has access to meaningful experiences that use the arts as a tool for personal development in an academic and community environment,” EAC says. .
Enrollment is limited to 25, and interested students may register by calling the conservatory at (814) 580-3913.
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