North Texas Jazz Festival

Please note that these questions and answers will be updated as new information becomes available.

1. Where is the North Texas Jazz Festival being held?
We encourage you to support this educational festival by staying in the host hotel. All festival events will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on the ballroom and entry levels. In addition to being very safe and convenient for your group, staying at the host hotel helps ensure that future festivals can take place.
Crowne Plaza Hotel
14315 Midway Road
Addison, Texas 75001
www.cpgalleria-nr.crowneplaza.com
(Midway Road between Spring Valley and Belt Line Road)
Map: http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/direction/dalad
Call 972-980-8877 and ask for in-house reservations dept.
2008 Festival discount rates: Single/Double/Triple/Quad $115
These are excellent rates for a true Four-Star Hotel!

2. Where do I park for the Festival?
There is plenty of parking space available at the Crowne Plaza Hotel: surface parking and garage parking are complimentary. Accommodations for large buses can be made by contacting the Concierge at 972-980-8877.

3. Do you need a ticket to the daily clinics, student performances, master classes and film presentations?
No. The clinics, student performances, master classes and film presentations are open to the public both Friday and Saturday. Tickets are only required for the evening concerts. Thursday welcome reception and concert are free to all festival attendees.

4. Where can I purchase tickets to the evening concerts?
Tickets must be purchased in advance, as the ballroom will sell out well in advance of the festival. Invited school groups may purchase tickets by contacting Chris McMurtry at 972-450-6251 or cmcmurtry@addisontx.gov. Due to limited capacity in the ballroom, no tickets are available to the general public.

5. What time are the master classes?
Master classes take place on Friday afternoon from 12:15 p.m. — 1:15 p.m. See the festival schedule for room locations. A special free Q & A session with our headliner will take place Saturday 12:15 - 1:15 pm.

6. Are there restaurants nearby if we don't want to eat at the hotel?
Addison is home to more than 170 restaurants within a two-mile radius of the Crowne Plaza. A complete listing of restaurants, menus and directions can be found at the AddisonTexas.net Restaurants page. Special arrangements have been made with the Crowne Plaza to provide affordable meals available for purchase in McArthur's restaurant on the entry level.

7. What equipment is provided in the warmup and performance spaces at the Festival?
Each performance space is outfitted with everything you will need for a successful performance. This includes: staging, chairs, music stands, piano, electronic keyboard with stand and keyboard amp, guitar amp, bass amp, drum kit with all hardware, throne and cymbals (cymbals available if needed), congas, and vibraphone. A high quality PA system and performance lighting are provided at each venue.

Also available is an acoustic string bass, which may be reserved by notifying the Festival Manager in advance.

Warm-up and clinic spaces have piano, guitar and bass amps, drum kit with all hardware and throne, music stands, and chairs.

8. Can we use our own drums, or substitute amplifiers or other backline?
No. In order to keep the festival running on schedule, we cannot allow any substitutions of drums or amplifiers. Your drummer is welcome to use his/her own cymbals and/or snare on the stands provided. Guitar and bass players should bring their own instrument and patch cord to plug in to the amplifier that is already in place.

9. Can we make requests for the use of an acoustic string bass?
Yes. This request must be made with the festival manager in advance of the festival. We realize how difficult it is to fly with a double bass these days, and we will make basses available for those groups that reserve one prior to the date that the performance schedule is announced.

10. Are High Schools and Colleges scheduled to perform on a particular day?
No. Groups are scheduled to perform on both Friday and Saturday regardless of whether they are University/College or High School/Middle School. You may request a specific day in order to meet your travel needs, by contacting Craig marshall prior to the final schedule release in February, via email: craig.marshall@unt.edu. A complete schedule will be emailed to you in February.

11. Will my group receive a clinic?
Yes. Every group is guaranteed a clinic with a UNT Jazz Faculty member immediately following their performance.

12. How many selections can my group perform?
We recommend that you prepare 20 minutes of music. This is typically 3 selections, though it can be 4, depending on the performance times of your selections. We strongly suggest that you time your performance in advance to be sure. Depending on your performance venue (see below), you have a firm window of time on the stage. Going over that allotted time will disqualify your group from consideration as the "selected group" for the Saturday evening concert performance.

BIG BANDS: (University/ Community College) Each Big Band will have a total of 30 minutes in the room. This includes getting situated on the stage, performing your selected charts, and exiting the stage. We suggest you plan to perform 20 minutes of music. We suggest 3 charts, depending on the performance times of your selections. Styles are, of course, up to the director. You will then proceed to the adjacent room for your clinic with a UNT Jazz Faculty member.

BIG BANDS: (High School/ Middle School) Each Big Band will have a total of 45 minutes in the room. This includes getting situated on the stage, performing your selected charts, getting a clinic from a UNT Jazz Faculty member, and exiting the stage. We suggest you plan to perform 20 minutes of music. You could go longer, though that will cut into the amount of time for your clinic. That is up to you. We suggest 3 charts, but you may want to do 4, depending on the performance times of your selections. Styles are, of course, up to the director.

COMBOS: All combos (University/ C. College/ High School/ Middle School) have a total of 30 minutes on stage. This includes getting situated on the stage, performing your selected music, and exiting the stage. You then proceed to the combo clinic space to meet with a UNT Jazz Faculty member.

VOCAL GROUPS: All vocal groups will have a total of 45 minutes in the room. This includes getting situated on the stage, performing your selected charts, getting a clinic from a UNT Jazz Faculty member, and exiting the stage. We suggest you plan to perform 20 minutes of music. You could go longer, though that will cut into the amount of time for your clinic. That is up to you. We suggest 3 charts, but you may want to do 4, depending on the performance times of your selections. Styles are, of course, up to the director.

13. Do we need to provide scores for the adjudicators?
Scores are helpful, though not required. Copies are acceptable provided that you have the original in hand. There are two adjudicators and one clinician observing your performance (if you wish to do so, please provide three scores total). You can give the scores to the stage attendant in your performance venue who will deliver them to the adjudicators and clinician.

14. What if I have more than one group performing at the Festival?
No problem. We will schedule your groups so that they will not overlap. In fact, we prefer to place them on different days for your convenience. If you would rather have them on the same day, you must indicate that to the Festival Manager prior to January 31. You will have time to get from one performance to another, as all festival activities take place on the ballroom level of the Hotel InterContinental.

15. Can my group rehearse at the festival?
Every group is guaranteed a warmup time immediately prior to their performance time. It is either 30 minutes, or 45 minutes, depending on which room you are performing in. The warmup room is outfitted with all the equipment you'll need to get ready for your performance (music stands, chairs, piano, guitar and bass amps, drums). No other practice times or facilities are available to your group. Each room is already scheduled with activities the entire day.

16. Will a recording be made of our performance?
Yes. The North Texas Production Group will be on site recording a video of your group performance at the event. You may purchase a copy by visiting the NTPG table at the festival.

17. Is there a fee due along with the application?
No. Do not include any payment with your application. Invited groups will submit participation fee in February along with their hotel reservation, evening concert ticket order and Festival T-shirt order forms.

18. Where do I send payment for the participation fee?
Payment should be payable to the Town of Addison, and sent to the Special Events Office along with your ticket order and T-shirt order form, including payment for those as well. Send checks, payable to Town of Addison to:

Chris McMurtry
Town of Addison
PO Box 9010
Addison, TX 75001-9010

19. What are the dates for future Festivals?
April 8 - 10, 2010
March 31 - April 2, 2011