FirstWorks to Showcase Arts Learning Initiative; RI Students Join Jazz at Lincoln Center Musicians Onstage, 6/3

Musicians from Jazz at Lincoln Center, the educational arm of jazz legend Wynton Marsalis' Jazz at Lincoln Orchestra perform with Rhode Island students in FirstWorks Arts Learning from The Learning Community (Central Falls), Jacqueline M Walsh School for the Performing and Visual Arts (Pawtucket), Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts (Providence) and Toll Gate High School (Warwick).

Music by jazz ensembles, a photographic and costume journey of the period, and dance and music performances culminates a semester-long project focused on "The Jazz Age and the Harlem Renaissance," part of FirstWorks' ongoing educational partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center. FirstWorks, a non-profit arts organization, concludes an arts-learning project that reached 930 Rhode Island students this year with a special showcase of student participants performing alongside Jazz at Lincoln Center musicians.

It all takes place on Tuesday, June 3, 6:00PM (45 minute program) at the Providence Career & Technical Academy, 41 Fricker Street (enter at Cranston St), Providence, RI. Parking is available adjacent to PCTA on Cranston St.

Guided by local teaching artists and Jazz at Lincoln Center musicians, participating students have designed their own performance projects to showcase what they have learned about this significant period in American history. Of the 930 students that participated in the program, a cohort of approximately 35 students will perform for and with their peers, presenting their creations using music, dance, theater, photography and literature.

About FirstWorks: FirstWorks is a non-profit arts organization that builds the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of our community through world-class performing arts and education programs. Since 2004, FirstWorks has offered Rhode Islanders access to some of the most exciting artists of our time. FirstWorks has produced 22 groundbreaking arts festivals, attracted more than 160,000 participants, presented over 361 international artists and innovators, and engaged more than 100 nonprofit community organizations and schools. Visit www.first-works.org to learn more.

About Jazz at Lincoln Center: Founded by legendary trumpeter, Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center is dedicated to inspiring and growing audiences for jazz, advancing a unique vision for the continued development of the art of jazz by producing a year-round schedule of performance, education, and broadcast events for audiences of all ages. Visit www.jalc.org to learn more.