Dear Friends of Vail Jazz,
This summer, we were looking forward to celebrating another major milestone: the 25th anniversary of the Vail Jazz Workshop, one of the three music education programs the Foundation presents. Unfortunately, those celebrations will have to wait. This week, the Foundation made the difficult decision to cancel all summer programming for the 2020 season. This includes the Gala, Thursdays at Vail Square, Sundays at the Vail Farmers’ Market, Sunday nights at the Remedy in the Four Seasons, and Labor Day’s iconic Vail Jazz Party.
Many considerations were taken when making this difficult decision. First and foremost, the health and safety of our community, our staff, and our musicians is our top priority. There is also so much uncertainty regarding ongoing travel restrictions into and around Eagle County by those who are not local residents. Logistically, we were unable to execute our programming given the anticipated timelines for re-opening and the restrictions on events in Eagle County.
We are pursuing innovative ways to engage with our community through music as we continue to navigate this unusual time. This includes enriching online content, potential virtual programming, and mini-soirees or pop-up concerts should the recommendations from the state and county allow such events.
The final session of Vail Jazz Goes to School, another one of our signature education programs, has already been moved to an online format. Videos were created of the lessons, and the curriculum was provided to our Eagle County teachers to present to their students. Vail Jazz Goes to School Education Director Tony Gulizia will be filming the final performance of the winning blues lyrics, written by a few of our Eagle County students.
Though we are all very disappointed, we are committed to weathering this storm and coming out stronger on the other side. Vail Jazz is renowned for education, high-quality performances, and advocacy for this uniquely American art form. This has been our calling card for over twenty-five years, and we plan to be here for many years to come. We look forward to celebrating with you again.
The future of the Vail Jazz Foundation depends on donations from people like you. Your donation will help maintain essential functions throughout the current public health crisis so we are positioned to offer our education programs and performance series in 2021.
Vail Jazz Workshop alumni Khris Royal is returning this summer for the Vail Jazz Gala Over the last 25 years, nearly 300 teenage musicians have been transformed by the Vail Jazz Workshop; a large majority have gone on to become professional musicians. This is one of their stories. Growing up in New Orleans, it’s not […]
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This saxophonist records music in fallout shelters
/in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2020, Education, Neil Welch, Press Release, Vail Jazz Workshop, Workshop Alumni News, Workshop Alumni Series /by vailjazzteamNeil Welch gained the confidence for his exploratory pro music career at the Vail Jazz Workshop Over the last 25 years, nearly 300 teenage musicians have been transformed by the Vail Jazz Workshop; a large majority have gone on to become professional musicians. This is one of their stories. Neil Welch has always gravitated toward […]