The Edmonton Jazz Festival Society (EJFS) was founded in 2005 as a community-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to continuing Edmonton’s summer jazz festival tradition. Edmonton’s summer jazz festival tradition began in 1980 with one of the city’s flagship events, Jazz City, a beloved annual event that showcased jazz to the people of Edmonton for almost 25 years. In the fall of 2005, a group of like-minded music lovers united to incorporate the EJFS, ensuring there would be a dedicated group to organize and sustain a jazz festival for years to come. The group worked diligently to build a core staffing team, lead by Kent Sangster, to secure funding and establish partnerships, and in June of 2006 presented its inaugural event, the Edmonton International Jazz Festival.
Over the next 5 years, the organization continued to develop and grow, including: the acquisition of the Jazzworks Non-Competitive Band Festival (a peer experience for junior and senior high school band students); establishing and introducing the Edmonton Jazz Orchestra (a professional large jazz ensemble [big band]); as well as obtaining its charitable status in 2011.
Building on its successes year after year, the festival was able to attract higher-profile and iconic international acts. The growth of the EJFS is purely the result of the hard work and support of its members, volunteers, sponsors, partners and organizations. Today, the Society continues to produce the annual Edmonton International Jazz Festival and the Jazzworks Non-Competitive Band Festival, and strives to share jazz with audiences of all ages through special performance ensembles and initiatives – the Edmonton Jazz Orchestra, the Edmonton Jazz Collective, and Jazz Around Town.
2020/21 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
GLEN KEMP, President
ROB PICTON, Vice-President
DAN DUNNIGAN, Secretary/Treasurer
JAMES YASKOWICH, Past President
LANA BERTSCH, Director
CHRIS WEIBE, Director
The EJFS would like to recognize its past Directors who’s contributions have to the growth and development of the organization:
Barth Bradley (Founding Board Member, Past President)
Jack Watt (Past President)
Adrian Albert (Founding Board Member)
Curtis Sparrow (Founding Board Member)
Glen Buick (Founding Board Member)
Hal Simmons (Founding Board Member)
Jim Funk (Director)
Do you like jazz? So do we. Every summer, the TD Edmonton International Jazz Festival takes over Edmonton for an 10-day celebration of everything jazz. The festival is proud to host both world-renowned international artists, as well as the very best musicians from the local jazz scene. When it comes to jazz music, there is always something new and exciting waiting just around the corner. Come discover it with us.
