Vision:
The Edmonton Jazz Festival Society instills in audiences the appreciation of jazz music as a diverse art form, connecting regional audiences to provincial, national and international jazz artists.
Mission:
The Edmonton Jazz Festival Society produces an annual International Jazz Festival, supports and presents the Edmonton Jazz Orchestra, and supports and presents the Jazzworks education outreach programs to keep the jazz (festival) tradition alive in Edmonton. We are dedicated to providing an open and nurturing environment for jazz artists to perform, collaborate, and celebrate with the people of Edmonton, jazz music from across the globe.
History:
In 2005, a small group of musicians, business owners, and the Edmonton Jazz Society (operating society of the Yardbird Suite) combined to produce the 60-event Yardbird Jazz Festival, and created the Jazzworks Small Creative Workshops as an educational component of the festival.
To ensure the continuation of the work started with the 2005 Yardbird Jazz Festival, the Edmonton Jazz Festival Society was formed in November 2005 to provide the mandate and structure to support the international jazz festival tradition started in 1980 by Jazz City. The Edmonton Jazz Festival Society, 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. From 2007 and onwards, the Edmonton Jazz Festival Society solely presents the Edmonton International Jazz Festival.
The second major development for the EJFS was the conception and presentation of the Edmonton Jazz Orchestra, which made its debut in the 2006 Yardbird Jazz Festival.
A small but growing staff and volunteer board, driven by their love for jazz music in Edmonton are dedicated to programming a festival that focuses on the broad scope of jazz. Volunteers who are motivated by their appreciation of jazz and the festival spirit support us each year in implementing the festival. Edmonton is known for having the first of the Canadian festivals in the 1980’s to achieve international standing. With a renewed mandate and the support of Jazz Festivals Canada, the EIJF represents the next generation of jazz festivals.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Barth Bradley – President
Glen Buick – Vice President
Dan Dunnigan – Treasurer & Secretary
Adrian Albert – Director
Michael Stolarz - Director
Curtis Sparrow - Director
STAFF
Kent Sangster – Executive Director/Festival Producer
Caitlin Sian Richards - Administration, Outreach and Development
Brandy Jensen – Edmonton Jazz Orchestra Administration, Outreach and Development
Nathalie Tait – Website Administration and Jazzworks Administration
Misha Marie Moroz - Festival Administration
The EJFS gratefully acknowledges our generous government funding:
