The students will travel to Los Angeles and participate in GRAMMY Week events

GRAMMY.com

The GRAMMY Foundation announced today that 30 high school students from across North America have been selected for positions in the 2007 Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles. Their selection provides them with unparalleled opportunities to rehearse and perform in front of some of music's biggest names during the week leading up to the 49th GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 11. Gibson Guitar and Baldwin Piano have partnered with the GRAMMY Foundation since 2003 to offer students this extraordinary musical experience.

The students, who represent 25 cities, 14 states and two Canadian provinces, will travel to Los Angeles for a weeklong musical adventure under the direction of Justin DiCioccio of the Manhattan School of Music and Dr. Ron McCurdy of the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. The Ensembles will then perform at various GRAMMY Week events including public performances at Catalina Bar & Grill (Feb. 7) and the Vic (Feb. 9). As a grand finale, they will perform at the GRAMMY Celebration after party, as well as attend the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards as guests of The Recording Academy.

"The Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles provide the kind of once-in-a-lifetime adventure for young artists that can be transformative," said GRAMMY Foundation and Recording Academy President Neil Portnow. "These talented young vocalists and instrumentalists come to Los Angeles during GRAMMY Week to experience the power and possibility of music firsthand — playing with their peers from across the country and with GRAMMY-nominated artists in several GRAMMY Week events — and many say it is the most positive and influential career opportunity they've had to date."

"Gibson Guitar and Baldwin Piano have a longstanding commitment to music education and to demonstrating the lifelong benefits music can offer a student," said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. "Each year, the Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles program brings together gifted young musicians and rewards them with a chance to perform with some of the world's greatest talents."

The International Association for Jazz Education provides outreach to the music education community to help ensure the program's success. The Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles selectees are eligible for more than $2 million in college scholarships made possible through the GRAMMY Foundation's college partners: Berklee College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, New School University and USC Thornton School of Music. In addition, every Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles program applicant and his or her high school will receive music product from MakeMusic!, including subscriptions to SmartMusic, the complete music practice system by MakeMusic! Additionally, each selectee's school will receive a professional cymbal courtesy of the Zildjian Company.

For a full list of the 2007 Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles members, please click here.