Registration Open for Milt Hinton Bass Summer Camp for Teens in New Jersey

 The Milt Hinton Institute for Studio Bass camp for young musicians returns this summer, July 19-25
 
Hosted by NJPAC and in residence at Drew University in Madison, NJ
 
Registration Now Open at NJPAC.org/hinton

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) will produce the Milt Hinton Institute for Studio Bass, an exceptional summer music education program for teen musicians (ages 14 through 18) from July 19-25, 2026.
 
The camp is named for Milt Hinton (1910-2000), a prolific jazz bassist, studio musician and photographer whose career intersected with many of the greatest musicians of the 20th century. Unique among music camps, the Institute is designed to support upright and electric bass players of all levels for a week of expert classes, performances, ensemble work, studio sessions, lectures, workshops and more. 
 
The Institute has been produced biennially since 2014. Originally staged at Oberlin University in Ohio, the camp joined forces with NJPAC in 2024. This summer, for its second season in New Jersey, the Institute will be produced by NJPAC and will be in residence at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, where the bucolic campus grounds and modern facilities create an ideal space for young artists to grow and advance their musicianship.
 
“We are honored to host the prestigious Milt Hinton Institute for Studio Bass throughout Drew University and in our award-winning Concert Hall,” said Dr. Hilary L. Link, President of Drew University. “Hosting young musicians on our campus, where they will discover their artistic potential, aligns with Drew’s commitment to the arts and educating the whole person."
 
During the program, students will live, study and take part in multiple performances on Drew’s campus. A concert by Institute students on July 22, 2026, will be open to the public.
 
Peter Dominguez, acclaimed bassist and Professor of Double Bass and Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, serves as the Institute’s Artistic Director.  “We look forward to fostering a new generation of accomplished and versatile bassists,” said Dominguez, whose own career was advanced when he became one of the first winners of a Hinton Scholarship Competition in 1981. “The Institute aims to nurture creativity, collaboration, and confidence in children through the joy of making music together.”
 
An extraordinary faculty of professional bassists from across the music world — including Ben Williams, Beth Robins, Bill Crow, Billy Hart, Carly Maldonado, Jennifer Vincent, Edward Perez, Emma Dayhuff, Jeremy Smith, John Kennedy, Luis Perdomo, Marcus McLaurine, Mimi Jones, Sam Suggs, and William Hobbs— will focus camp instruction on bass performance techniques and all-bass ensemble playing in a range of musical genres including classical, Latin and jazz. Notable guest artists from the region are expected to visit with campers as well. 

An addition to this summer’s camp experience is the loan of Scott LaFaro’s Prescott bass to the Institute, thanks to the generosity of the International Society of Bassists. Students will have the rare opportunity to rehearse and perform with this iconic instrument. Built in 1825 by the renowned American luthier Abraham Prescott, the double bass was once owned by the great jazz bassist Scott LaFaro, a native of Newark. 
 
David Berger and Holly Maxson of the Berger Family Foundation, lifelong friends of Hinton’s and longtime Arts Center supporters, are once again the lead sponsors of the Institute for Studio Bass. “Having Scott LaFaro’s bass at the 2026 Institute will have a profound effect on the young bassists who attend. It offers them a rare opportunity to play an exceptional and valuable instrument that belonged to a jazz legend, but it also gives them a personal way to connect with jazz history and culture,” said David Berger.
 
About Milt Hinton   
Known as “the dean of jazz bassists,” Hinton played with jazz greats from the early 1930s on, performing with Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and many others. Hinton also recorded with pop superstars including Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler and Willie Nelson. Hinton also toured extensively, and in 1993, he was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Fellowship. He was also well known for his photography, through which he documented seven decades of jazz history. Hinton was renowned for his willingness to mentor young players; a scholarship program in his name was established by his friends and admirers on his 70th birthday. After Hinton’s passing, the Institute was conceived to continue his work in supporting young bass players.
 
About NJPAC
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is an anchor cultural institution for both the city of Newark and the state of New Jersey. It is an artistic, cultural, educational and civic center where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings communities together both on and off of campus – on stages, in schools and community settings – providing access to the arts for all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists, while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Social Impact programs, NJPAC leverages the arts to advance positive outcomes in education, health and well-being, civic engagement and community development. NJPAC has attracted more than 12.7 million visitors (including more than two million children) since opening its doors in 1997. Learn more at njpac.org.