On Friday, December 6, the countdown to the 50th anniversary of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) kicks off with a very special concert by the Preservation All Stars. For this one-night-only event, the band will feature a line-up of outstanding NOCCA alumni, including Kevin Louis and Ronell Johnson. NOCCA Jazz students will also perform.
The concert begins at 8pm in NOCCA’s Lupin Hall, located at 2800 Chartres Street. Tickets are available from $15 at NOCCAInstitute.com, with special rates for students, seniors, military, and veterans.
This concert is part of a months-long partnership between The NOCCA Institute and the Preservation Hall Foundation, during which NOCCA Jazz students will receive training from Preservation Hall musicians in Traditional New Orleans Jazz. This master-apprentice approach to education lies at the heart of NOCCA’s time-tested educational model. Not only does it expose students to new techniques, but it also connects them to the international network of artists to which they’ll soon belong.
“NOCCA welcomed its first students in 1974,” said Sally Perry, executive director of The NOCCA Institute, NOCCA’s nonprofit community support and advocacy partner. “And since those early days, students have learned by watching professional artists–both NOCCA faculty members and an array of visiting artists brought in by the Institute. As we approach the school’s 50th anniversary in 2024, I can’t think of anything more exciting than a concert by jazz masters who’ve all been trained at NOCCA!”
Ben Jaffe, a NOCCA alum, NOCCA Institute Board Member, and Creative Director for Preservation Hall, feels the same: “Preservation Hall is a proud partner of NOCCA, and I’m so proud that this concert and these educational opportunities are happening. So many of our musicians are alumni of the school, including me. This partnership is a testament to the impact the school and venue have had on one another as world-class institutions to perpetuate New Orleans music.”
ABOUT NOCCA & THE NOCCA INSTITUTE
The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) is Louisiana’s arts conservatory for high school students. NOCCA offers intensive instruction in Classical Music, Creative Writing, Culinary Arts, Dance, Drama, Jazz, Media Arts, Musical Theatre, Theatre Design, Vocal Music, Visual Arts, and academics. Students come from across Louisiana, attending via full-day, afternoon, and after-school sessions. Admission to NOCCA is by audition, and there is no tuition.
The NOCCA Institute is NOCCA’s nonprofit partner, providing supplemental funding for NOCCA and advocacy for its world-class program. Some of the Institute’s more notable endeavors include: a comprehensive Student Success Program that funds students’ supplies and fees associated with important summer training programs across the country; an Artists-in-Residence Program that brings more than 100 professional visiting artists into NOCCA’s classrooms each year; the capital campaign for NOCCA’s current home and expansion projects along the Press Street corridor, including Press Street Gardens; a wide array of arts classes for adults; and concert, gallery, and literary events for the community.
PRESERVATION HALL ALL STARS
New Orleans’ Preservation Hall was established in 1961 to honor one of America’s truest art forms – Traditional New Orleans Jazz. Preservation Hall continues its mission today as a cornerstone of New Orleans music and culture.
The Preservation Hall All Stars are the premiere ensemble of the most tenured artists from the greater Preservation Hall musical collective. Each performer bears a unique connection to the earliest practitioners of jazz itself, some by bloodline but all united by the sheer power of tradition. In addition to performing at the Hall weekly and internationally throughout the year, these culture bearers continue to pass the torch to the younger generation through education and community engagement.
PRESERVATION HALL FOUNDATION
The Preservation Hall Foundation was launched in 2011 to protect, preserve and perpetuate the musical traditions and heritage of New Orleans. Through music education, community engagement, archiving, and support for our elder musicians the Preservation Hall Foundation creates greater awareness and appreciation for New Orleans music and the communities that support it.