Born September 23, 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina, John Coltrane was always surrounded by music. His father played several instruments sparking Coltrane’s study of E-flat horn and clarinet. 

Excitement is building about the 43rd Annual Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert! One of our guest artists will be the fabulous jazz singer, composer, and arranger Carmen Lundy!

Internationally acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Geri Allen (MA 1982, ethnomusicology) has stepped in as Director of Pitt’s Jazz Seminar and Concert, now in its 43^rd year. Allen is continuing the legacy of Professor of Music Emeritus Nathan Davis, the founder and former director of the Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert, who retired this summer. In January, Allen will join the faculty of the Department of Music as an associate professor and assume leadership of the Department’s program in Jazz Studies.

Nicholas Amoscato, a Dietrich School senior double-majoring in music and computer science, has been chosen as the 2013 University of Pittsburgh/BNY Mellon Jazz Scholar. Amoscato, a native of Wexford, Pennsylvania, was selected to receive the $5,000 scholarship by a panel of jazz musicians and educators based on his advanced performance abilities. He performs on tenor sax as a member the Pitt Jazz Ensemble and as part of smaller combos organized through the Jazz Ensemble.

Jazz studies PhD candidate and guitarist Young-Soo Kim gave a special performance during the winter recess as part of a benefit concert hosted by the Beautiful Foundation USA. Proceeds raised from the event were used to establish an emergency relief fund to help victims of Hurricane Sandy, and to help prepare for future disasters. The concert took place at the Bernarducci Meisel Gallery in New York City. Along with Kim, the program featured performances by the Sejong Soloists and The Columbia Kingsmen, an all male a cappella group.

This year’s graduation marked the end of a particularly fruitful year for the Department of Music graduating class, current students, and alumni.

2012 Graduates and Current Students

The Department of Music of the University of Pittsburgh seeks to make a faculty appointment in Jazz Studies beginning September 1, 2012, pending budgetary approval. The appointment will be made at the level of Assistant Professor in the tenure stream.

Music at Pitt is starting November off in a big way and local media have taken notice. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published previews of the Jazz Seminar and Concert and Sweeney Todd, while the City Paper conducted extensive interviews with Jan and Amy Williams in anticipation of the Morton Feldman Symposium and Mini-Festival.

Internationally renowned jazz greats, including Pitt alumnus and pianist Geri Allen (A&S ’83G), will convene at the University of Pittsburgh Nov. 3–5 for the 41st annual Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert. The first academic jazz event of its kind in the country, Pitt’s Jazz Seminar features international artists connecting with an audience in a lecture format, then performing together as an ensemble.