More than $2 million in direct funds have been bestowed upon Chicago-based artists since 2012.

CHICAGO, IL, USA, April 22, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Luminarts Cultural Foundation (Luminarts) is honored to name saxophonist Isaiah Collier, trumpeter Andrew Egizio, flutist Kenthaney Redmond, and guitarist Kenny Reichert as its 2022 Jazz Fellows. Eight finalists performed live at Chicago’s Jazz Showcase for the final round of judging. Criteria included specializing in original, innovative, and improvisational jazz.

For a decade, Chicago’s most talented musicians and performers have competed for Luminarts’ prestigious Fellowship awards. A Luminarts Fellowship marks the beginning of a long-term commitment to a Fellow’s craft. In addition to the initial $10,000 award, Fellows gain access to professional and creative resources and additional project grants for 10 years.

Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist Isaiah Collier’s composition style is remarkably versatile. He creates music through atypical concepts, such as barcode sequences and planetary alignments. Mr. Collier believes in applying the power of music to teach the history of inequality in America. He works with minority students in public schools and teaches masterclasses in juvenile detention centers to build a sense of community for misled youth and educate on the correspondence between social justice and music history.

Trumpeter Andrew Egizio aims to make an impact through both performance and education. He aspires to lead his own collegiate-level jazz program with an emphasis on Bebop and the chronological evolution of the music being taught and played. He currently runs a small studio of jazz students, but plans to pursue a masters degree in order to fulfill his collegiate level teaching goals. Mr. Egizio’s next steps as a performer includes recording his debut album as a bandleader with hopes to compensate those involved in turning that dream to a reality. As a Luminarts Fellow, he has gained the financial freedom to advance both as a performer and an educator.

Kenthaney Redmond has found the two things that have connected him with his peers throughout life are jazz music and video games. His objective is to fuse these interests and utilize his composition and coding skills to create a video game that reflects storytelling through modern jazz. Mr. Redmond is currently working on this project for his thesis as a Master of Music in Global Jazz at Berklee College of Music and aspires to use the final product as leverage to build future interactive collaborations. He hopes to inspire and entertain by demonstrating the joy jazz music is capable of deriving outside of standard jazz performance.

As a Chicago newcomer currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies at DePaul University, Kenny Reichert has found himself in continual awe of the Chicago jazz scene and the diversity of the city’s artistic community. His ultimate career goal is to simultaneously be an active performer, composer, and educator. As a Luminarts Fellow, Mr. Riechert expresses his enthusiasm to not only be able to financially cover professional recording costs, but also to be immersed in such an iconic and exemplary music scene.

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About Luminarts Cultural Foundation
Luminarts Cultural Foundation (Luminarts) cultivates Chicago’s vibrant arts community by supporting exemplary young artists through its competitive programs that offer financial awards, artistic opportunities, and mentoring that bridge the gap between education and career.
Luminarts welcomes talented young artists of all social, economic and cultural backgrounds. As a young visual artist, musician, vocalist, or writer from the Chicago area, we invite and encourage you to compete for grants, creative opportunities, and to become Luminarts Fellows.
Luminarts Cultural Foundation is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. Visit Luminarts.org for more information or to contribute.

Ryan Arnold
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