(COLUMBUS, OH – April 15, 2015) On March 29-April 4, 2015, Columbus-based jazz violinist and educator Christian Howes went on tour along with three other musicians from the Columbus scene through England, Montenegro, and Italy. They performed at multiple venues, introducing foreign audiences to American jazz and presenting workshops for professional and student musicians related to jazz improvisation.
The tour began with a stop to London, England, where Howes presented clinics on Improvisation & Contemporary String Styles at The Poor School on March 29, followed by a show to a packed audience at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club later that evening in conjunction with classical kicks.
Following the visit to London, Howes met up with Hamilton Hardin (piano), Cedric Easton (drums), and Dean Hulett (bass), all of whom have a rich history performing in Columbus. They presented a series of workshops and performances in Montenegro in conjunction with the US Embassy and the Mid Atlantic Arts “USArtists Award”. They traveled through the cities of Podgorica, Tivat, and Cetinje from March 31 through April 3, and ended the tour with a special performance at The Cotton Club in Rome, Italy on April 4.
This is not the first time Howes has represented the United States as a “Cultural Ambassador”. In June 2014, he received an invitation from the US Embassy in Ukraine to perform at the historic Lviv Philharmonic Hall. This invitation came as an important time as the world’s eyes were on Ukraine and their international conflict.
This engagement is supported by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation through USArtists International in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. We’d also like to thank the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the city of Columbus, and the U.S. Embassy to Montenegro for their support.
A former Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music, Howes founded the 501(c)(3) charitable organization “Creative Strings” to support music educational activities and performances, including visits to more than 50 school orchestra programs per year, an annual week-long intensive “Creative Strings Workshop and Festival” in Columbus, Ohio, and the “Creative Strings Academy” online home study course, used by thousands of string players worldwide pursuing improvisational and contemporary music curriculum.
Howes has won several major nominations and awards since 2011 in the Downbeat Critics Poll, Jazz Times Critics Poll, Jazz Journalists Association Awards, and Chamber Music America’s Residency Partnership Program.
Schedule for Christian Howes’ 2015 Europe Tour
Sunday, March 29, 2015
1:30-4:30PM – Workshop at The Poor School in London, England
7:00PM – Concert at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London, England
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
4:30-6:00PM – Workshop at Vasa Pavic in Podgorica, Montenegro
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
8:00PM – Concert at Cultural Information Center in Montenegro
Thursday, April 2, 2015
8:00PM – Concert in Tivat, Montenegro
Friday, April 3, 2015
8:00PM – Concert at Royal Theatre Zetski Dom in Cetinje, Montenegro
Saturday, April 4, 2015
8:30PM – Concert at The Cotton Club in Rome, Italy
