New jazz club music program invites local students to learn for free
A performance held at Libretto, located in downtown Paso Robles.
Explore jazz, composition, and performance at Libretto Conservatory.
– San Luis Obispo County high school and college students interested in the musical arts are invited to apply for the Libretto Conservatory program. It’s a collaboration between local jazz club Libretto and Los Angeles based The Michael Ragonese School of Music.
“The Libretto Conservatory program will bring together young artists from the SLO County community, spanning high school to college ages, to explore improvisation, composition, performance, and entrepreneurship,” said jazz club owner Corey Jordan. “Michael will mentor aspiring high school and college musicians as they pursue professional careers.”
The program will run from Jan. 13 to Feb. 10 and be located at Libretto. Students will be grouped into a high school or college ensemble, dependent on skill level, with a maximum of six students per group.
There are no tuition fees for this program. Lectures and rehearsals will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on a Monday or a Tuesday, depending on the group. The program will finish with a concert on Feb. 10 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
All instrument types are welcome to apply; the application deadline is December 16. Auditions will then be held online.
Grammy nominated pianist Gerald Clayton performing at Libretto.
This is not the first time that Libretto and The Michael Ragonese School of Music have collaborated; they started a free monthly student jam session in 2023 with the idea “to have local music students play in an intimate and professional setting with professional musicians from Los Angeles and New York City,” according to Jordan.
Libretto is located at 1242 Park Street in Paso Robles. They host weekly concerts with Grammy award winning musicians, with Jordan adding that “we feature a very special Steinway & Sons Concert Grand piano that has a rich history and has been regarded as one of the finest instruments in the world.”
More information can be found here.
