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The Nash accepting applications for fall session of all-female jazz musicians group

Posted 8/17/20

The Nash has opened enrollment for its all-female jazz musician program, Phoenix Jazz Girls Rising.

Led by musicians Mary Petrich, who plays saxophone, and Claudia Bloom, who plays piano, the …

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The Nash accepting applications for fall session of all-female jazz musicians group

Posted

The Nash has opened enrollment for its all-female jazz musician program, Phoenix Jazz Girls Rising.

Led by musicians Mary Petrich, who plays saxophone, and Claudia Bloom, who plays piano, the group is designed to provide mentorship and musical collaboration for aspiring young women interested in jazz, according to a release.

See a video on the goup here.

Open to girls ages 10-17, the musicians meet weekly to learn well-known jazz tunes and create improvised solos to express individuality, culminating in a public performance at The Nash, 110 E. Roosevelt St. in Phoenix, at the end of the semester.

“I think it’s really important to have female mentors. I’m the only female in a professional big band and I still find that interesting. I think, ‘Why is it all men? Where are the girls?’” Ms. Petrich, said about the creation of the program.

“There is something special and of great value to have an all-female environment. These young women are able to try new things and not feel judged or uncomfortable. They grow to really trust each other,” she said in the release

Sessions are held 10 a.m.-noon Saturdays Sept. 19-Nov. 7. Due to COVID-19 concerns, Phoenix Jazz Girls Rising will begin the year online and move to an in-person model as the situation in Arizona becomes safe for students and teachers, the release states.

Interested parents and students should go to phoenixjazzgirlsrising.com or thenash.org/education/phoenix-jazz-girls-rising.

Cost is $100 with limited scholarship funds available.

About Mary Petrich, Claudia Bloom

Creative saxophonist Ms. Petrich has been developing her own vision for the past 20 years. Her desire to push the boundaries has led her to many projects and collaborations, the latest being the album “Murmuration” with her quartet “OpenHand.”

With an abiding love for free style improvisation and the intimate collaboration of small group settings, she is equally at home playing standards and working in larger group formats. Large group work includes the Phoenix Symphony, the Grammy award-winning Phoenix Chorale, the Az. Music Festival Orchestra, and the Nash Composer Coalition, the release states.


Ms. Bloom has been a musician of many hats throughout her life. Classically trained at a major university, she went on to play in bands that specialized in Jazz fusion, rock, pop, smooth jazz and salsa. Overseas tours courtesy of the Department of Defense, hotel gigs, and a short stint on a cruise ship cured the travel bug and were followed up by a permanent home in Phoenix, Arizona. She is currently the pianist/organist at Desert Palm United Church of Christ, whose members embrace her modern arrangements and re-harmonizations of hymns, spirituals, and pop and jazz standards.

About The Nash

The Nash, owned and operated by Jazz in Arizona Inc., a 501(c)3 organization, is an education and performance venue named in honor of world-renowned drummer and Phoenix native, Lewis Nash. Since its opening in 2012, The Nash has grown to present more than 300 events annually including jazz performances, jam sessions and educational programs – featuring students, top local and regional musicians, national and internationally acclaimed jazz artists and jazz royalty.