Surrey Jazz Trumpeter's Benefit Concert Funds Juilliard Dream

Hugh Penner, a 22-year-old jazz trumpeter from Surrey and the first Canadian accepted to Juilliard School's jazz studies program, is staging a benefit concert Friday, June 26, to help bridge the gap between his $300,000 scholarship and the actual cost of studying at the prestigious New York school.

"The scholarship somehow doesn't even cover the tuition alone," Penner said. "The tuition is, like, $57,000 U.S. per year, plus the school fees and living expenses. It's a lot of money."

The concert, titled "Journey to Juilliard," takes place at Northwood United Church, 8855 156 St., Surrey, with a burger dinner option starting at 5 p.m. Tickets are available on zeffy.com and at the door. Penner has set a $7,500 fundraising goal on GoFundMe to help him and his fiancée Viola Sabean settle in New York in August.

The first half of the concert features Penner's quintet performing original music and classics. The second half showcases the Vancouver Groove Orchestra—his father Daryl Penner's 16- or 17-piece big band with vocals—with Hugh featured on select pieces.

"We've put on some concerts here before," Penner said of Northwood. "We know some people there and they're always nice to work with because they care a lot about the community."

A Salish Secondary graduate, Penner recently finished five years of music studies at Capilano University in North Vancouver. While jazz is his passion, he acknowledged the reality of the profession: "Making it as a jazz musician is not too feasible, so you end up doing more non-jazz work than jazz." He's performed salsa, mariachi, funk, pop, Indian music, Iranian music, and wedding gigs to stay busy.

Juilliard carries deep significance for Penner. His musical hero, Wynton Marsalis, attended the school and now serves as its artistic director. Charlie Porter, one of Penner's biggest influences and mentors, also studied at Juilliard, helped him prepare his audition, and wrote his recommendation letter.

"It's very, very intimidating," Penner admitted about attending Juilliard. "As soon as I got in, for the first while I had some pretty bad imposter syndrome. It didn't even feel real. But it's getting better and I'm getting more and more excited the closer I get to going there."

Event and prize sponsorships, along with donations, are being sought to support the concert. Those interested can email hpsauce9999@gmail.com, visit hughpenner.com, or donate via gofundme.com/f/hughpennerjourneytojuilliard.