FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Livermore Valley Arts
Contact:
Ruth Egherman (925) 583-2306
Anne Giancola (978) 852-6333
East Bay Jazz High School All-Stars 2025 Season Auditions Taking Place This January
LIVERMORE, CA – (January 15, 2025) – Under the leadership of director Spencer Sussman, the East Bay Jazz High School All-Stars is gearing up for its 2025 season, where promising high school musicians can take their talents to the next level. A pre-professional music academy for high school jazz musicians, East Bay Jazz’s two ensembles, big band and combo, rehearse on a weekly basis and frequently perform between January to June. In EBJ students develop their skills within the jazz idiom, gain real-world performance experience, and share a love of music with the East Bay community and beyond. Recent graduates have continued to perform music in their local communities and at esteemed music conservatories such as Berklee College of Music, California Jazz Conservatory, Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, New York University, Oberlin College, SF Conservatory of Music, UCLA, and others. The group is made up of more than 20 talented high school musicians from throughout the East Bay, selected through a competitive audition process, which is slated for Thursday, January 23, and Friday, January 24, 202,5 at Amador Valley High School. East Bay Jazz’s educational programs are fully supported by Livermore Valley Arts.
East Bay Jazz was founded by Spencer Sussman in 2016. A Pleasanton native and a graduate of Amador Valley High School, Sussman holds a master’s degree in Jazz Studies from San Jose State University and has performed worldwide. The High School All Stars provides students with an invaluable opportunity for real-world performance experience as jazz musicians outside a school setting and works to foster an appreciation for jazz music as an art form within the community. LVA assists the group by identifying performance opportunities and providing financial support through the education fund. “This is our 9th season of East Bay Jazz and I’m especially excited for this year in particular,” said Sussman on the upcoming season. “We’re showcasing the most guest artists we’ve ever had in a single season, including Grammy Award-winning musicians with hundreds of
studio credits between them. This will be a very special 2025 season and I encourage all high school musicians to audition!”
Auditions for the 2025 East Bay Jazz season will take place from 4:30 pm to 9 pm on January 23 and January 24 in Amador Valley High School’s Choir Room, at 1155 Santa Rita Road in Pleasanton. Financial support for East Bay Jazz comes from specifically designated contributions to the LVA Education Fund and is separate from the organization’s general operations. “Continuing to offer students in our community the opportunity to experience and grow within the arts is a crucial part of what LVA is at its core,” said Anne Giancola, Visual Arts and Education Manager at Livermore Valley Arts. For more information on education outreach programs and how you can support the Education Fund, visit LivermoreArts.org/arts-education. For more information on East Bay Jazz High School All-Stars and to sign up for an audition slot, visit
LivermoreArts.org/arts-education/growth or email Spencer Sussman at [email protected]. # # #
Livermore Valley Arts is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit offering wide-ranging programs that provide access to the arts for the Tri-Valley community and beyond. The Bankhead Theater and Bothwell Arts Center are home to eight resident performing arts companies and over 40 studio artists and cultural arts instructors. LivermoreArts.org
Classes, dates, times, and ticket prices for other events available at www.LivermoreArts.org
