Congratulations to the 2006 Wardenburg Scholarship recipients. From left to right. Zach Para on drums, Alex Rudee on saxophone, Ashley Webster on piano. Photos taken during their combo performances at Centrum's Port Townsend Jazz Workshop. Photo by Earshot Jazz.

The Wardenburg Scholarship provides financial assistance for young, inner-city jazz musicians to attend Centurm's Port Townsend Jazz Workshop.

The celebrated bassist and composer John Clayton leads the 5-day workshop. Participants enjoy daily rehearsals in combos, improvisation, or vocal classes, receiving focused instruction as they prepare for a performance at the end of the workshop. For more information on the Port Townsend Jazz Workshop go to www.centrum.org.

Earshot does not accept scholarship applications directly, instead we work with Centrum's financial aid department to select the recipients.

To donate to the Warden Scholarship Fund contact Earshot Jazz at (206) 547-6763.

About Fred Wardenburg

Fred Wardenburg was a great supporter of local jazz, particularly of jazz education. A jazz musician, himself, Fred started Earshot’s scholarship program for Centrum's Bud Shank Jazz Workshop in 1990. He did most of the fundraising, and worked with teachers to identify young, inner-city jazz musicians who would benefit from assistance to attend the highly regarded jazz camp. Over the years, he found scholarships for over 50 participants at the Centrum workshops.

Upon retirement from his work as a family therapist, Fred took up jazz piano, painting, worked on a jazz novel, and always took classes at the Centrum workshops – an unassuming, older guy among the young cats. In May of 2006 Fred died from cancer. His life was one of exemplary breadth and endeavor.

After graduating from Princeton University with an engineering degree, he entered film and television,
and soon made the acclaimed 1962 documentary The Streets of Greenwood, about efforts to register black voters in Mississippi. It was one of the earliest civil-rights film documents.

He first moved to Seattle in 1970, but returned East to work in public TV – for example, he made several short films for Sesame Street. While filming family therapists in New York, he decided to become a family therapist, himself. He returned to Seattle to study at the University of Washington, then co-founded the Montlake Institute in 1982 to train family therapists.

He closed his practice in 1996, and devoted more time to his family, artistic pursuits, and community work, includ-
ing with Earth Ministry, which is devoted to faith, daily life, and ecology. Fred asked that donations in his memory be made to Earth Ministry (206-632-2426) or Earshot Jazz’s education
programs (206-547-6763)