Membership is Music To Our Ears

The Space Coast Jazz Society (SCJS) was founded in 1986 with the mission to keep jazz alive and well on the Space Coast. The society has hosted a monthly concert series for years, which 95-year-old founder Jack Simpson still attends. Their concerts bring top-notch musicians and bands to our community. But did you know the SCJS also awards scholarships to local students looking to further their studies in music? 

The Space Coast Jazz Society needs help to continue to preserve and promote live jazz in Brevard County. The society is looking to increase its membership, particularly among the next generation of jazz lovers. Students can become members for as little as $5, while individual memberships start at $30. Membership for a couple starts at just $50 annually. 

“Becoming a member means you help us to bring in first-rate musicians from outside Melbourne to the area,” said board member Gigi Gordon. “Members get discounted tickets to our monthly concert series. But most importantly, this is the place where people can come and enjoy jazz.”

The Space Coast Jazz Society looks to both their individual donors and their corporate partners to help them hire professional musicians for live concerts as well as fund scholarships. Gordon’s dream is for the society to grow large enough to one day put on a jazz festival in Brevard.

The society has awarded scholarships to Brevard County students for over 20 years. This year the SCJS will give out two $1,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who are interested in furthering their studies in jazz, even if they do not plan to major in music. 

“Even if they don’t go on to become professional musicians, music will always be in their lives,” Gordon said. The deadline to apply is April 15, and the scholarships will be awarded on May 3.

Jared Dransfield, a 2019 scholarship winner, went on to study trumpet performance at BYU-Idaho. 

“The scholarship allowed me to purchase a classical trumpet that I needed to play in orchestra settings,” he said.

The society’s next concert, featuring the Jeff Rupert Quartet, will take place on Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m. at the Rockledge Country Club. Tickets are $10 for members, $15 for guests, and are available for purchase online or at the door. 

The SCJS is always looking for volunteers who want to work behind the scenes. 

“New members are very welcome,” Gordon said. “We are looking to get people involved who are very enthusiastic about promoting jazz.”

For more details on becoming a member of Space Coast Jazz Society or to apply for a scholarship, visit www.spacecoastjazzsociety.org.

Jazz@SpaceCoastJazzSociety.org

Facebook: /SpaceCoastJazzSociety/

IG: @spacecoastjazzsociety

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