INTRODUCING ENCORE EXPERIENCES
New Ways to Learn, Move, and Make Music at MCG Jazz
At MCG Jazz, music has never been just something you hear, it's something you inhabit. Something you feel. Something you live.
This summer, we're deepening that key tenet with Encore Experiences, a new collection of immersive programs & opportunities designed for musicians, movers, curious minds, creative geniuses, and anyone who's ever felt the undeniable magnetic pull of a groove they couldn't quite get out of their mind.
From an audition-only high school jazz intensive that puts students center stage, to a midweek sound bath that melts the week away and spotlights the healing power of music, to a boundary-pushing collaboration between sound and movement, there's something here for every kind of creative.
Moving Music Workshop: A One-Week Intensive
August 17–21 | 6:00–9:00 PM Performance: August 22 | 7:00 PM | $200 | Limited to 12 participants
What happens when musicians and movers stop working side by side and start creating together?
That's the question at the heart of the Moving Music Workshop — a five-day intensive exploring the charged, generative space where rhythm, sound, and physical movement converge. Through improvisation, collaborative composition, and hands-on experimentation, participants will discover how bodies in motion can reshape music, and how music, in turn, reshapes what the body wants to do.
This is not a choreography class. It's not a music theory seminar. It's something harder to name and more rewarding to experience: the art of true co-creation, where the unexpected is not just welcome — it's the whole point. No prior experience is required, only a willingness to explore.
The week culminates in a live showing of original work in the MCG Jazz Music Hall — a public celebration of everything built in those five evenings together.
The workshop will be led by Kaylin Horgan, a Pittsburgh-based choreographer, performer, and educator with a remarkable breadth of experience. As a performer, she has worked as a soloist dancer, creative collaborator, and vocalist with Esperanza Spalding's touring ensemble; toured with Pillow Project across Europe and the UK; and performed with Antonio Brown Dance, Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, and the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble.
Her choreographic work has been presented nationally and internationally, including at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Hague, and United Dance Project in Bermuda. Recent Pittsburgh credits include Annie (Pittsburgh Musical Theater) and A Mother's Love — a residency project with Grammy-nominated jazz pianist and composer Ray Angry, presented right here at MCG Jazz. Horgan teaches at Point Park University and Slippery Rock University, and holds a Master's degree in Arts Administration from Goucher College.
Open to musicians, movers, and creative explorers of all ages!
Register Here → Advanced online registration and a completed on-site release form are required.
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Over the Hump Day: Wednesday Sound Experiences
June 10 | July 8 | August 5 | 7:00–8:00 PM $35/session | Limited to 12 participants
Some weeks, you don't need another meeting or another to-do list. You need to lie down, close your eyes, and let sound do the rest.
Over the Hump Day is a midweek respite: a one-hour sound immersion designed to ease tension, restore clarity, and remind you what it feels like to simply be. Each session blends gongs, crystal bowls, tubular bells, drums, flutes, and other healing instruments into a seamless, meditative soundscape. The experience begins with a guided meditation to gently bring you into the room, and is facilitated by two certified practitioners in a calm, supportive environment.
Comfortable mats are provided, though you're welcome to bring your own. After each session, guests are invited to stay a little longer and explore the instruments firsthand with a brief guided introduction— because curiosity is always encouraged here.
Sessions are scheduled monthly through August. Come for one. Come for all four. All ages welcome.
Advanced online registration and a completed on-site release form are required.
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Jazz: On Tour — A Free Two-Week Performance Intensive
July 20–31, 2026 | Manchester Craftsmen's Guild | Free | By Audition | High School Students (Grades 9–12)
For the young musicians ready to step into something real: this is it.
Jazz: On Tour is a free, two-week summer intensive for high school students that goes far beyond the rehearsal room. Participants will perform on multiple stages, immerse themselves in the legacy of Pittsburgh's storied jazz scene, and bring iconic compositions to life in electrifying new ways — all while getting a genuine taste of what it means to live and work as a professional touring artist.
The program includes daily rehearsals, live performances, masterclasses, and sessions on financial literacy and musician mental health. Each participant receives a stipend.
Week 1 runs July 20–24 (12:45–4:00 PM). Week 2 runs July 27–31 (12:45–4:00 PM, with evening performances). The program is led by Mark Jackovic, MCG Jazz's own Jazz Education and Archives Manager.
Enrollment for auditions is open through June 23rd. Auditions have been extended through June 23 (4:00–7:00 PM) and June 27 (9:00 AM–1:00 PM) at MCG Jazz. Acceptance notifications go out June 30th.
Enroll for Your Audition → For full audition requirements, visit this page.
Questions? Contact Natalie Larsen at (412) 322-1773 Ext. 21 or nlarsen@manchesterbidwell.org, or Mark Jackovic (*after June 21, 2026) at mjackovic@manchesterbidwell.org or (412) 322-1773 ext. 192.
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Something for Every Kind of Listener, Learner, and Maker
Whether you're a seasoned musician, a curious newcomer, or a high-schooler with a horn and a dream, this summer's Encore Experiences were built with you in mind. Space is intentionally limited in each program — because the best creative work happens when everyone in the room can be seen and heard.
We can't wait to make something with you.
Explore all programs at mcgjazz.org, follow us on social media, and sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop!
For more information, please contact MCG Jazz at 412-322-0800 or visit www.mcgjazz.org.
