Darlington School will welcome The Alvaro Bermudez Trio to campus Saturday, Oct. 4, to perform a "Jazz on the Green" concert at 7:30 p.m. at Thatcher Hall's Johnson-Drummond Amphitheater. This event is free and open to the public.
"We invite everyone to bring their blankets, chairs and picnics and join us for this exciting event!" said Kim Tunnell, director of fine arts. "It's going to be a fun evening full of wonderful music from this trio of very accomplished musicians."
This performance is part of the Darlington fine arts department's new 21st Century Artist initiative, funded by the school's Wood Faculty Professional Development Endowment Award.
The namesake of the trio, guitarist and composer
Alvaro Bermudez, has been making music professionally since the age of 15. A native of White Plains, N.Y., he completed high school in Palmira, Colombia, before returning to the United States to begin collegiate studies in classical and jazz music. Alvaro’s formal music training began at the Indian River Community College under Dr. Dale Rieth, where he received his associate’s degree with emphasis in vocal studies. He was the winner of the Treasure Coast Symphony Concerto Competition as well as the recipient of the Treasure Coast Jazz Society Scholarship. Alvaro received a full scholarship to study jazz guitar at the Florida International University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1999. He returned to Florida International as a Wertheim Fellow to pursue his master’s degree in jazz studies, which was completed in August of 2007. He also studied classical guitar under Carlos Molina. He currently lives in White Plains, N.Y.
Jeffrey Kipperman is a bassist, composer, and teacher from Yorktown Heights, N.Y. An orchestral player and chamber musician who is
equally comfortable in classical music, jazz and world musics, he has played with some of the top musicians and ensembles in South Florida. Before moving to Miami, Kipperman lived in Merida, Mexico, where he worked as both a jazz and classical musician, performing all over the country with the Yucatan Symphony Orchestra and Sequenza Sur, a contempory chamber ensemble run by Mexican composer Javier Alvarez. During his time in Merida, he also performed with jazz guitarist Alberto Palomo, and can be heard on Palomo's album "Jazz Tunkul." In the area of world music, Kipperman has performed with Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, sharing the stage with Yo-Yo Ma as well as a multitude of musicians from the Silk Road region, including Iranian kamancheh player and composer Kayan Kahor. As a composer, Kipperman has written works for orchestra, big band, string quartet, string bass, and a variety of other chamber ensembles. He has also written a multitude of works for jazz trio and jazz quartet. Upon graduating from Brandeis University as a performance major, he was awarded the Reiner Prize in Composition.
He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Jazz Bass at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.
Percussionist Brandon Cruz has been involved in a variety of musical settings. As a classical percussionist and jazz musician, he has performed with various symphonies and ensembles around the country. He has also performed for over a dozen musicals, including productions of “Cabaret," “Leader of the Pack” and “Anything Goes.” In 2010, Cruz joined the faculty of his alma mater, Florida International University, as director of marching percussion and was hired as percussion coordinator for the 2011 and 2012 Orange Bowl as well as the 2013 BCS Championship game. Cruz is also founder/director of the South Florida Center for Percussive Arts, the central resource for drums and percussion in the South Florida community. He holds a bachelor's degree in classical performance from Florida International University and a master's degree in Jazz Studies from the New England Conservatory of Music.
Jazz on the Green is an alcohol-free event. Parking is available in baseball complex across from Darlington's main gate on Cave Spring Road. For information, contact Fine Arts Director Kim Tunnell at
ktunnell@darlingtonschool.org. In case of rain, Jazz on the Green will be held in Darlington's Old Gym.
