The Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble, formed in 2005, is the Philharmonic Association's newest group. This ensemble is an outgrowth of the Triangle All-Star Jazz Ensemble, an invitational group put together for the Martin Luther King All-Star Dream Concert given January 16, 2005. In 2003 the Triangle Youth Philharmonic inaugurated this annual concert shared with The Martin Luther King All-Children's Choir. The two groups performed again in 2004. PA Artistic Director, Hugh Partridge, asked John V. Brown, Jr., Director of Jazz Studies at Duke University, to form a youth jazz ensemble for the 2005 MLK concert. The youth jazz ensemble was so successful that it was decided to add it to the PA family of youth musical groups for next season. The Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble will be a twenty-member group consisting of 2 alto and 2 tenor saxophones, baritone saxophone, 5 trumpets, 5 trombones, guitar, piano, bass, vibraphone, and drums. Auditions, separate from those for the classical groups, will be held September 6, 2007 for musicians who want to join this group.
John V. Brown, Jr.
Director, Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble
John V. Brown, Jr., a native of Fayetteville and bassist since the age of nine, began his musical career in his teens. At UNC-Greensboro he studied with Jack Budrow, and after performing with several orchestras in the region went on to become an intern with the North Carolina Symphony while still an undergraduate. In college John also developed a great love for jazz and began pursuing careers in both jazz and classical music. He has performed in the US and abroad with artists like Wynton, Ellis and Delfeayo Marsalis, Elvin Jones, Diahann Carroll, Rosemary Clooney, Cedar Walton and Nicholas Payton and he boasts a Grammy® Nomination for his performance and co-writing on Nnenna Freelon's 1995 Concord release, "Shaking Free". John's extensive performance experience includes feature films, television movies, theater, and recordings. John performs regularly with the North Carolina Symphony, the Opera Company of North Carolina, the Carolina Ballet and gives frequent jazz performances. In 2003 he became the Director of Jazz Ensembles and Jazz Studies at Duke University. John also serves on the faculties of UNC Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University where he teaches applied double bass and electric bass. A graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law, John is a practicing attorney with a growing general practicing in the Triangle. John is an Acoustic Image® and an AMT Artist®.
Brian Miller
Assistant Director,
Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble
Brian Miller is a native of Kinston, NC and is a graduate of North Carolina Central University. Brian was first exposed to music at his church and developed a strong passion for music at an early age. By the time he graduated from high school, he played saxophone, tuba, trumpet snare drum, bass clarinet and valve trombone. While a student at NCCU, he worked with jazz artists like Clark Terry, Slide Hampton, Maceo Parker, Grady Tate, and Nicholas Payton, and played at the Montreux and Vienne Jazz Festivals. Brian performed with the NCCU Jazz Band twice at the White House for President Bill Clinton, and the band has recorded his original composition, "Desmond Street." He has also performed with Tom Browne at Blues Alley and remains in very high demand among jazz, gospel and R&B musicians alike.
