INFORMATION:  Partnerships | Vendors | Membership | Volunteer   

Thanks to meaningful collaborations with Wayne State University, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and the Detroit Institute of Art, we are able to nurture the art form, and carry on Detroit’s significant jazz legacy.  These partnerships enable us to have a year-round presence and to enhance music education in various schools and cultural organizations.

We are also committed to providing opportunities for developing musicians to perform during the festival.  Through a partnership with the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association, 16 middle and high schools performed in 2008. We also presented ensembles from 14 colleges and universities.  Several of the ensembles had the privilege of performing with some of the greats of jazz, including Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Jon Faddis, and 2008 Artist-in-Residence Christian McBride.

In addition, our Jazz Talk Tent provides meet-the-artist sessions and panel discussions that allow fans and students of all ages to delve more deeply into the world of jazz.  In 2008, Jim Gallert and Lars Bjorn assembled a terrific schedule, made possible in large part by a grant from the NEA Jazz Masters Live program.

And it's never too early to expose kids to world-class music. Because we are a free event, families can take their children to all of our concerts.  We also offer the KidBop area, with stories, participatory programs and great jazz for the wee-boppers. And Arts & Scraps helps us round out the experience with music-related art projects.