We are very pleased to announce the return of the Fraser MacPherson Scholarship competition. More news will follow in August, so follow us on Instagram (@FMjazzfund), Twitter (@FMjazzfund), or on Facebook for regular updates. Expect the application form to be available on our website in October and the submission deadline to fall in early November. The scholarship awards will, as before, be separated into two categories: secondary school and post-secondary.

We are very pleased to announce that Cory Weeds has been appointed President of the FMJF.

Known to just about everyone in the music business, Cory’s track record as a musician, concert organiser/promoter and fundraiser speaks for itself. His unique mix of skills makes Cory an excellent choice for moving the FMJF into a new chapter and together with the board of directors we are all very excited to get going!

Keep an eye on our “News” page here and/or our social media channels for scholarship and workshop news in the Fall.

Due to Covid, the operation of the society has been temporarily suspended but will continue in Fall of 2021. For more information, please follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

For those not familiar with this great band, it consists of Canadian Jazz Legends Ron Johnston, Ian MacDougall, and Oliver Gannon.

This drummer-less ensemble has been playing together for decades and illustrates the pinnacle of melodic, swinging jazz improvisation.

Don’t miss this FREE performance and workshop with three of Canada’s finest.

Click here to see the VCC auditorium location on a map (enter from Glen Drive).

In 1975, Fraser MacPherson recorded an album of music (with Oliver Gannon and Wyatt Ruther) which would launch his solo career, lead to worldwide touring (including 4 trips to Russia) and multiple music awards and inspire generations of aspiring jazz musicians.

On Friday, March 20, 7:30pm at the Planetarium we are going to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this recording with some of Vancouver’s finest jazz musicians. Performances will include music of the Fraser MacPherson Nonet (which hasn’t been performed in over 50 years!), a few songs by recent “future of jazz” Fraser MacPherson Scholarship winners, and finally, the Oliver Gannon trio performing songs from the Planetarium album.

All ticket sales will go towards the Fraser MacPherson Jazz Fund, so book your tickets early and enjoy an intimate evening of beautiful music in the very same room where the iconic Planetarium album was recorded 40 years ago.

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online here.

The Planetarium (aka the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre) is located at 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, BC.

It has been great to hear the wealth of talent applying for the Fraser MacPherson Jazz Scholarship this year. It has also made for a lot of difficult decisions across the board. Thank you to all those who applied and to those who were not chosen as finalists, we encourage you to apply again next year.

The finalists in the high school division (listed alphabetically) are:

Kayden Gorden – Trumpet – Chilliwack Senior Secondary
Evan Gratham – Bass – Argyle Secondary School
Victoria Hebbard – Trumpet – New Westminster Secondary School
Ethan Honeywell – Drums – Langley Fine Arts School
Brandon Lin – Trombone or Bass – Semiahmoo Secondary

The finalists in the post secondary division (listed alphabetically) are:

Matt Choboter – Piano – None
Jon Lee – Bass – Berklee College of Music
Andrew Janusson – Guitar – Vancouver Island University
Andrew Skepasts – Guitar – City College of New York
Lucas Smart – Saxophone – Humber College
Trevor Whitridge – Trumpet – Capilano University
Jenny Xu – Piano – Berklee College of Music

Scholarship winners will be announced as soon as all funding is confirmed. Likely by the end of the month.

Please have a look around! There is lots of information on the site now about some exciting events coming up, and there’s more info to come. Also, the scholarship application is now available for download on the Scholarship Info page. The deadline for submissions is November 15th, 2013.