The California Jazz Conservatory (CJC) is celebrating its silver anniversary in 2022 with a salute to the many accomplishments achieved by CJC degree program graduates and by alumni of the Jazzschool – CJC’s community music program – over the past 25 years.
With performance at the center of the CJC curriculum, alumni continue to advance their careers on the stage and in the recording studio. Significant achievements include Jazzschool alum Elena Pinderhughes appearing on Herbie Hancock’s upcoming album; CJC grad Ruthie Dineen – who serves as Executive Director, East Bay Center for the Performing Arts – is the founder and co-leader of Negative Press Project; and CJC grad Casey Mattson, whose “Alien Boy,” in collaboration with his fellow Santa Cruz musician, Oliver Tree, went Platinum.
One outstanding success story in point is Venezuelan music specialist, Jackie Rago, a longtime teacher and student at the Jazzschool, who recently appeared with John Batiste, performing his “American Symphony,” in Carnegie Hall. Jackie’s list of accolades include recognition by The Rockefeller Foundation, California Arts Council, The National Endowment for the Arts, and the Lila Wallace Readers Digest Foundation, among many others.
Additional achievements by CJC students and Jazzschool alumni include:
- Command performances at the White House and United Nations (Zach Ostroff, Jazzschool alum)
- Participant, Latin Grammy Award-winning Yo Me Llamo Cumbia; MFA degree from California Institute of Arts (Susana Pineda, CJC Class of 2017)
- Multiple composition awards from DownBeat Magazine; ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award (Michael Orenstein, Jazzschool alu
