Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Announces Grant to Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc.

    NEWPORT, RI, November 17, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc. has been awarded a 29-month Arts Program grant in the amount of $50,000 from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) to support presentations by DDCF grantees at the Newport Jazz Festival during 2011-2013. Percussionist Dafnis Prieto has been commissioned to compose a new piece for his sextet to debut at the 2012 Festival, which is set for August 3 - 5.

"We are grateful to the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for its support of the Newport Jazz Festival," said George Wein, Producer of the Festival since its inception in 1954 and Chairman of the Newport Festivals Foundation. "I had the privilege to meet Ms. Duke, who attended the Newport Jazz Festival from its beginning right up to the early 90's. She was not only a dedicated patron of the arts, but also a jazz pianist and composer. She never wanted to be recognized for attending the festival; she simply wanted to sit peacefully in her seat and enjoy the music she loved. We are pleased that through the support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, we are able to present the music of Dafnis Prieto and others in Newport, where some of the finest moments in jazz history have occurred."

"We're pleased to support not only a festival that Doris Duke loved to attend, but a fantastic platform for the presentation of contemporary jazz," said Ed Henry, president of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. "This grant is as much about encouraging the future vitality of the jazz field as it is about celebrating its rich history."

The DDCF grant supported new music projects by internationally-renowned composer/percussionist/bandleader John Hollenbeck and MacArthur Foundation recipient/saxophonist Miguel Zenon at the 2011 Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Global Asset Management. Hollenbeck, who introduced "Songs That Like Me" featuring the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble with special guests Kate McGarry (voice), Theo Bleckmann (voice) and Uri Caine (piano/organ), showcased his original work as well as his own arrangements of songs by Imogen Heap, Jimmy Webb, Ornette Coleman and Kraftwerk. Zenon presented "Alma Adentro," a collection of Puerto Rican songs featuring his arrangements with orchestrations by Argentinean pianist/composer/arranger Guillermo Klein, performed by the saxophonist's regular quartet along with a 10-piece wind ensemble.

"The 2011 and 2012 projects embody the spirit of the Newport Festivals Foundation and its commitment to developing the genre of jazz while retaining its fundamental nature," said Wein.

The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people's lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and the prevention of child abuse, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke's properties.

The Newport Jazz Festival is a production of Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, under license from Festival Productions, Inc. and George Wein; all rights reserved.

Website: http://www.newportfestivalsfoundation.org/

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