Green Bay Jazz Fest 2024 Begins April 8th!
Green Bay Jazz Fest 2024 will take place April 8th-13th, with specially curated events celebrating all things jazz with live music, film screenings, and educational outreach to student musicians across the state.
Events will take place across the UW-Green Bay campus, on-stage at The Weidner, as well as downtown at The Tarlton Theatre and Copper State Brewing Company.
World-Renowned jazz musician Wycliffe Gordon will headline this year’s Jazz Fest with a live a concert featuring the Green Bay Jazz Orchestra Saturday, April 13th, at The Weidner Center for The Performing Arts. In addition to the finale concert on Saturday, Wycliffe Gordon will also perform the night before (April 12th) with student musicians from UW-Green Bay’s Jazz Ensemble One, and the All-City Jazz Ensemble, which is made up of the best and brightest high school jazz musicians from 11 local high schools.
Tickets are on-sale now HERE.
Wycliffe Gordon is not only one of the premiere trombonists in the world, but also one of the most charismatic and engaging educators in jazz,” said Adam Gaines, Festival Director and Professor of Music at UW-Green Bay. “Students and audiences alike are in for a real treat, and we couldn’t me more excited to have him playing and working with the Green Bay musical community for Jazz Fest!”
According to Sam Stranz, All-City Jazz Ensemble co-director and saxophonist with Green Bay Jazz Orchestra, Green Bay Jazz Fest is a fantastic chance for students meet like-minded people and to learn from the pros:
“For the high schoolers, this experience is a taste of jazz in college – a time of intense focus centered around common passions combined with up close interactions with professional jazz musicians. The UW Green Bay Jazz One members will have the added bonus of performing with Wycliffe Gordon – an experience they’ll never forget. As an educator, I’m extremely excited to share in bringing these opportunities to the young musicians of our community. And as a performer, I’m taken back to the eagerness and elation I felt at my very first jazz festival – ready to become a student again.”
The 2024 festival marks the 54th year of Green Bay Jazz Fest, making it the second longest running festival of its kind in Wisconsin. Founded in 1970 by Wayne Jaeckel and Lovell Ives, the festival welcomes hundreds of middle and high school students to the UW-Green Bay campus for educational and performance opportunities with professional and academic musicians each year.