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YAMAHA'S YOUNG PERFORMERS JOIN DAVID BENOIT AT NAMM SHOW —Junior Original Concert (JOC) Program Students Shine in Spotlight Alongside Virtuoso— BUENA PARK, CA (January 27, 2001)—Visitors to the Yamaha Piano Division location at the recently concluded Winter NAMM 2001 show in Anaheim, CA, got a double treat: piano master and Yamaha affiliated artist David Benoit performed original works on Jan. 18, 19 and 20, and so did five talented young composers from Yamaha's Junior Original Concert (JOC), a program of the Yamaha Music Education System (YMES).
YMES is a comprehensive music education program that emphasizes singing, keyboard performance and creativity. Junior Original Concert (JOC) is a one-of-a-kind musical showcase for children around the world who have participated in the Yamaha Music Education System. Through JOC these young musicians have the opportunity to unlock their full musical potential by composing original pieces and performing them before enthusiastic audiences. On Jan. 18 and 19, 12-year-old Jason Barney of Mesa, AZ, gave a rendition of "Prelude and Fugue," a Baroque-style piece he wrote at the East Valley Yamaha Music School. Jonathan Takahashi, 13, delivered his pop-styled "Intrepid Journey." Takahashi is a resident of Los Alamitos, CA, and a student at the Cerritos Yamaha Music School. Also, 17-year-old NiTasha Jackson from Fredericksburg, VA, played and sang her pop composition, "Just Hold Onto Me." All the young performers used Yamaha pianos, and Takahashi added a Clavinova digital piano to the mix.
The Jan. 20 concert featured 13-year-old Sebastian Chang of Trabuco Canyon, CA, who played his contemporary "Diabolic Dialogue" that he composed at the Yamaha JOC Academy. Jeremy Siskind, a 14-year-old Irvine, CA, resident who also studies at the JOC Academy, combined a Yamaha piano, a CS6X synthesizer, an S80 synthesizer and rhythm accompaniment in his rendition of "Mashed Potato Jazz" with co-performers Koichi Sanchez and Tommy Chien. NiTasha Jackson also made a repeat appearance with "Just Hold Onto Me." Benoit, who has a Yamaha Disklavier conservatory grand piano and Clavinova CVP98 digital piano in his own Torrance, CA, studio, is a firm believer in music education and participation. He frequently lends his time to Yamaha Clavinova Festivals around the country, and often visits classrooms as a guest educator with the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. Benoit is a prolific recording artist, from his 1975 performance on the soundtrack of the film Nashville to 1999's Professional Dreamer CD, his 23rd release. Best known as a popular and gifted composer-pianist in contemporary jazz, he has also built a large body of work in television and film scoring, lending his talents to features such as The Stars Fell on Henrietta and television shows like Sisters, Shannon's Deal and All My Children. Benoit was also a guest conductor for the San Jose Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and several other major orchestras. For more information on the Yamaha Music Education System and the Junior Original Concerts, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Music Education Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600; call (714) 522-9011; or visit the web site http://www.yamaha.com.
© 2001 Yamaha
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