Ritenuto Foundation, Inc., in collaboration with the St. Edward’s University Music Department, is proud to announce its first annual LuluFest, a women-led band festival that features a broad spectrum of music – from jazz to western swing to Latin and Brazilian. This one-day event will be held on Saturday, June 3rd, 2017 from 12 pm – 10 pm at St. Edward’s University, 3001 South Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78704.
The focus of LuluFest, which includes a series of workshops and concerts, ... view more »
Ritenuto Foundation, Inc., in collaboration with the St. Edward’s University Music Department, is proud to announce its first annual LuluFest, a women-led band festival that features a broad spectrum of music – from jazz to western swing to Latin and Brazilian. This one-day event will be held on Saturday, June 3rd, 2017 from 12 pm – 10 pm at St. Edward’s University, 3001 South Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78704.
The focus of LuluFest, which includes a series of workshops and concerts, will be women bandleaders, both seasoned and up-and-coming, who have committed their lives to music. While men have long dominated the field of jazz, the principle of this eclectic festival is to showcase female musicians and their unique musical concepts, setting it apart from most other festivals in the country at this juncture in history. LuluFest also seeks to encourage young women who don’t often get to see women in leadership roles in the music business.
Kicking off the evening concert lineup in St. Edward University’s Jones Auditorium will be Albanie Falletta, a young star from New Orleans, who will present western swing jazz on her guitar and vocals, followed by local Austin musician Susanna Sharpe and her Brazilian quartet. Two phenomenal musicians from New York City will be headlining the evening: world renowned jazz pianist and composer Helen Sung and Grammy award-winning trumpeter Ingrid Jensen. The concert series will conclude with Peggy Stern’s exciting and driving Latin group, Estrella Salsa, featuring the best and brightest stars on the Austin music scene, including Suzi Stern, Joey Colarusso, Daniel Durham, and Mike Longoria.
EVENING CONCERT SCHEDULE:
5 pm: Albanie Falletta Trio, featuring Masumi Jones
6 pm: Susanna Sharpe Brazilian Quartet
7 pm: Ingrid Jensen Quartet
8 pm: Helen Sung Trio
9 pm: Estrella Salsa, featuring Suzi Stern, Joey Colarusso, Ingrid Jensen, Daniel Durham, Mike Longoria, and Peggy Stern
During the day, the workshops will focus on basic jazz improvisation skills, not only for students already into jazz, but also those who are classically trained and think they might enjoy improvisation. The workshops will be instrument specific: Piano (Helen Sung); Trumpet (Ingrid Jensen); Vocals (Suzi Stern); Drums (Masumi Jones). From 12 – 1:30 pm, the workshops will take place in St. Edward’s University’s Carriage House, and from 2 – 3:30 pm, a masterclass will be held in the Jones Auditorium.
For the past twelve years, the Ritenuto Foundation organized the Wall Street Jazz Festival, a free, outdoor festival in Kingston, New York featuring women-led bands. After relocating to Texas, Artistic Director Peggy Stern was inspired to continue the festival in Austin’s forward-thinking community. While the Wall Street Jazz Festival also had a distinct hometown flavor, LuluFest will be much more personal, bringing Austinites together to experience and enjoy world-class music in an intimate environment.
More information about the artists, the concept of the Festival, and fees and directions can be found on the website: www.lulu-fest.com.
View less
