A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Hailey Niswanger, a junior at West Linn High School, was hand-picked for a spot in the Jazz Band of America, billed as a “world class ensemble,” which will perform Friday with Wynton Marsalis in Indianapolis, Ind.
Jim Hart / West Linn Tidings
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Anyone would think if a high-school-age musician achieved a spot on the jazz band that performed at several Grammy week activities in the Hollywood/Los Angeles area that would be the highlight of a young career.
This is not so with Hailey Niswanger, a junior at West Linn High School.
As a result of her performances in southern California, Hailey was selected to fill one of just a few non-audition spots on a national-level band.
She’ll be on stage tomorrow, Friday, with the Jazz Band of America during a national music festival in Indianapolis, Ind. Playing with the band as featured soloist will be Wynton Marsalis.
But her five days in Indiana will not just be rehearsing and performing. The organization Music For All Inc., has arranged for master classes for each young performer from members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
The man who gave Hailey this opportunity initially was Ron McCurdy, Ph.D., chair of jazz studies at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. McCurdy — who was present at the Grammy events — heard Hailey play and immediately recognized her unusual talent.
That’s when McCurdy, highly respected among jazz musicians, contacted Dean Westman, educational director of Music For All in Indiana.
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