The Berklee College of Music in Boston will launch the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice this fall. The new institute will focus on equity in the jazz field and on the role that jazz can play in the larger struggle for gender justice. Additionally, the institute will honor the contributions women have played in the development of jazz, and frame more equitable conditions for all pursuing careers in jazz.
Terri Lyne Carrington, the Zildjian Chair in Performance, is the founder and artistic director of the Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. She also serves as the artistic director of Berklee’s Summer Jazz Workshop. Additionally, she was the first woman to win a Grammy Award in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album category for her piece, Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue, a reimagining of the Duke Ellington classic.
“I am proud to serve as the founder and artistic director for the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice,” said Carrington. “Now more than ever, jazz musicians, educators, presenters, and practitioners must turn their attention to inclusivity in the creative and performance processes to incorporate more women and gender non-binary artists and professionals for the further development of the art form. This institute will address injustices in jazz through research projects and performance-based programs that will allow students of all gender identities to collaborate, learn, and grow as artists within the Berklee community and beyond.”
Carrington is a 1983 graduate of the Berklee College of Music.