The Center for Jazz Studies was established by the late Amit Golan in 2002 and quickly became a highly acclaimed center for Jazz which offers:
- Jazz studies for children and youth
- A collaborative academic program with The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York
- The Israeli Big Band, Tel Aviv, the Conservatory’s official Jazz Band
The late Amit Golan’s vision – Founder of the program
Since his return to Israel in 1995, Amit Golan dreamed of creating a small but first-rate center for jazz education. Amit drew his inspiration from the model created by the founder of the New School Jazz program, the late great Arnie Lawrence, whose approach was based mainly on playing as well as learning directly from the masters.
“I am confident that the new Center for Jazz Studies will provide a fresh and inspiring environment for learning jazz. I only wish I’d had such an environment when I was an aspiring young musician in Israel. This is a considerable and honest initiative to give the utmost to a group of dedicated students who have chosen to seriously study jazz. The CJS faculty provides the highest level of instruction, ensuring that each and every student receives the attention they need to realize their potential. I strongly support and endorse this new and exciting program.”
Avishai Cohen – Internationally acclaimed Israeli bass player and New School Alumnus
“My studies at the New School marked a high point in my development as a jazz musician, and I’m delighted to take part in bringing the spirit of the New School to the new Center for Jazz Studies in Tel Aviv. Here at the CJS, Our students enjoy the unique experience of studying in an intimate setting with some of Israel’s leading jazz artists. In addition, we offer our students master classes by guest artists, as well as a wide variety of performance ensembles, running the gamut from traditional jazz to contemporary jazz to world music. I am confident that our students will continue to excel in their musical endeavors in New York, and will become an integral part of the international jazz scene.”
Erez Bar Noy – Director The Center for Jazz Studies between 2011-2019
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Jazz department for children and youth
Program Head – Yuval Cohen
Students come from every region in Israel. The faculty comprises first-rate musicians, most of whom have studied in the United States and performed with legendary musicians of the New York scene.
The Center’s objectives are to teach students the fundamentals of Jazz and guide them in their exploration of the Jazz tradition and its celebrated legends, from the early days of Jazz up to today’s contemporary Jazz. In addition to private lessons, the Center offers improvisational workshops, Jazz bands, world music ensembles and big band. Students may combine classical music studies with their Jazz studies to enrich their musical world. Many students give their senior recital, win competitions, gain scholarships, serve as distinguished IDF musicians, and continue their studies in the collaborative academic program with The New School, or other leading music academies in the world. The Center’s bands have won prizes in important international competitions.
Here’s a little taste of one of the young ensembles:
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The Bachelor of Fine Arts academic program
in cooperation with The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music (New York)
Program Head- Matan Chapnizki
The Center for Jazz Studies was founded in 2009 by the late Amit Golan and Michal Arad Abramov.
The four year academic program enables students to commence their studies in Israel for the first two years, followed by two additional years at the New School for Jazz and contemporary music in New York City, for the completion of their Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
The program is designed for a total of about sixty students, all of whom must meet high standards of excellence.
The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music awards a BFA degree to students who complete a minimum of 128 credits of study during the course of four years. Students who successfully complete two years of study in Israel receive half of the credits required for the completion of the BFA degree at the New School in New York City.
The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music has long been considered a leader in jazz education whose notable alumni include Avishai Cohen, Brad Mehldau, Peter Bernstein, Larry Goldings, and many others. Its unique approach enables students to study with legendary musicians from the NYC jazz scene such as Reggie Workman, Jim Hall, Jimmy Cobb, and Junior Mance to name just a few.
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The Israeli Big Band, Tel Aviv
Conductor – Yonatan Voltzok
Our Big Band is a dynamic, stimulating band comprising students from the Center for Jazz, as well as students from the academic program. The Big Band performs in concerts and festivals, in addition to hosting leading Israeli musicians and international Jazz stars such as Alon Oleartchik, Anat Cohen, Joe Magnarelli , Marina Maximilian Blumin, Joel Frahm and others.
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Watch the Big Band joined by the Conservatory String orchestra:
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The Center for Jazz Studies holds concert series, workshops and master classes with leading musicians from Israel and overseas