Our story . . .
In early spring of 2005, the 25-year tradition of the Edmonton Jazz City Festival had come to a sudden stop in operation, leaving the very real possibility that there would not be a summer jazz festival in Edmonton. A small group of musicians, business owners and the Edmonton Jazz Society (operating society of the Yardbird Suite) combined to produce and present a financially sound, high quality, artistically diverse, 60 - event Yardbird Jazz Festival offering a very broad range of artists from across Canada and the United States. There was also the creation of the Jazzworks Small Group Creative Workshops, an educational outreach program for aspiring college-aged musicians to be mentored by leading jazz artists featured in the festival.
To ensure the continuation of the work started with the 2005 Yardbird Jazz Festival, the Edmonton Jazz Festival Society (EJFS) was formed in November 2005 to provide the mandate, foundation and structure to support the international jazz festival tradition started in 1980. The Edmonton Jazz Festival Society (EJFS) under the guidance of the Edmonton Arts Council and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts collaborated with the Edmonton Jazz Society (Yardbird Suite) to co-present the 2006 Yardbird Jazz Festival. For 2007 and hopefully years to come the Edmonton International Jazz Festival will be solely presented by the Edmonton Jazz Festival Society. (EJFS)
The second major development for the EJFS was the conception and presentation of the Edmonton Jazz Orchestra (EJO). The EJO made its debut performance at the 2006 Yardbird Jazz Festival to rave reviews. Since then, the EJFS has presented 4 concerts while adhering to the professional structure it is based upon, gradually building on its audience and sponsorship support.
As outlined in our society structure, the third objective of the EJFS is the Jazzworks educational outreach program.
There are two parts to the program:
- Jazzworks Non-Competitive Band Festival that is held at the Yardbird Suite annually in mid February for junior, senior and community big-bands.
- Jazzworks Creative Small Group Workshops is the educational component of the Edmonton International Jazz Festival. It is a professional development workshop setting for university and college aged musicians who aspire to become professional jazz musicians.
It needs to be mentioned that all the activities and efforts of the Edmonton Jazz Festival Society are driven by the love of and appreciation for the need of a strong jazz component among Edmonton’s cultural mosaic. Although the EJFS is a young society it draws its strength from a core group of experienced and passionate volunteers and driven by a small, but building support staff led by executive director Kent Sangster.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
- Barth Bradley – President C.A. – Partner – Kingston Ross Pasnak Chartered Accountants
- Glen Buick – Vice President – (former) Assistant Deputy Minister Of Culture
- Dan Dunnigan – Treasurer & Secretary
- Adrian Albert – Partner – Lyons, Albert & Cook Barristers & Solicitors
- Michael Stolarz - M.Mus – Musician
STAFF
- Kent Sangster - Executive Director
- Misha Marie Moroz - Director's Assistant and Logistics Coordinator
- Caitlin Richards - Administrative Assistant
- Nathalie Tait - Website Maintenance and Advertising