A HUGE congratulations to Nick Caldwell, a 13-year-old sax player in our program. He won DownBeat Magazine‘s award for Junior High School Honors Outstanding Performance, Tenor Saxophone! We are all so proud!

From April 5 to April 7, 2019, our “New Soil Ensemble” directed by Gilbert Castellanos competed at the Next Gen Jazz Festival in Monterey. This competitive, audition-only festival brings out the best of the best and this ensemble felt like winners just to be included. Two of our students took top honors: Zion Dyson won […]

Congratulations Young Lions Jazz Conservatory Artistic Director Gilbert Castellanos on your nomination for “Artist of the Year” from the San Diego Music Awards!

Two Young Lions Jazz Conservatory students received Young Arts awards. Pianist Jason Picker received “Jazz Composition Merit Award,” this is a big honor!  Serena Geroe (guitar) and Jason Picker were both chosen as GRAMMYCamp finalists. Congratulations, students!

We are pleased to have our 16-year-old vocalist Zion Dyson featured this month in The San Diego Troubadour magazine. Zion’s passion for jazz certainly stands out in this feature. She discusses her start on the stage at The San Diego Junior Theater, her jazz education with Gilbert and Lorraine Castellanos, her involvement with the Young Lions, and her dream of studying jazz at USC’s Thornton School of Music. Congratulations, Zion, and thanks for putting the spotlight on San Diego’s youth jazz scene.

You’re invited to The Young Lions Jazz Conservatory Open House. We welcome you to get a rare sneak peek into a Young Lions Jazz Conservatory class! Read more to see our class schedule.