BJA Launches the Baltimore Jazz Conference

Click here complete schedule information!

On November 9, the Baltimore Jazz Alliance will present the first Baltimore Jazz Conference, a one-day free event seeking to share information with and between jazz artists, jazz listeners, and jazz presenters. The event is funded in great part by a Free Fall grant from BOPA; it will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church on Greenmount Avenue, and will feature a variety of presentations and speakers, on topics ranging from copyright law to social media marketing, to fundraising and career development, to the history of jazz in Baltimore. Capping the day will be a special performance by Philip Thomas and the Hymn Experience.

Note: The event is free, but we ask that you register here so that we can properly plan our setup.

Free Fall Baltimore is presented by BGE, and is a program of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Complete schedule

• 11 am – Registration, coffee
• 11:30 am – Welcome
• 11:45 am – Conversations on the History of Baltimore Jazz, with Rosa Pryor, Gary Ellerby, and Jim Dow
• 11:45 am – What you need to know about copyright law to survive in the jazz music business, presented by Charles F. Morgan of Astrachan Gunst Thomas
• 12:00 – Tips on Booking with Eric Briscoe
• 1:15 pm – Lunch provided by Carrabbas, Whole Foods, and other generous sponsors!
• 2:15 pm – Cultural Non-Profit Social Media Basics, with Nick Horan, Communications Manager at the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance
• 2:15 pm – Navigating the Jazz Funding Landscape – for Artists and Organizations, presented by Emily Sollenberger, Program Director, Arts Services from the Maryland State Arts Council, Jess Porter, Program Officer at Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, and Sara Donnelly, Director of SouthArts’ Jazz Road program
• 3:15 pm – Conversation with musicians Warren Wolf and Craig Alston
• 3:15 pm – Conversations on Jazz Education with Greg Thomkins of The Baltimore Jazz Education Project and Ed Hrybyk of Baltimore School for the Arts
• 4:15 pm – Contracts, Revenue Streams, and Business Entity Issues for Musicians, presented by Joe Konigsberg, Esq. of MD Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
• 4:15 pm – Tools for Booking and Promoting your Music, with Paulina Phillips of Jazz Beyond Borders
• 5:30 pm – An open discussion on the State of Baltimore Jazz, and how the BJA, and you, can help make things better
• 6:00 pm – Performance by Philip Thomas and the Hymn Experience

Remember to register here to be sure we have space for you!