The DeMiero Jazz Festival has been inspiring thousands of talented young musicians of the Northwest and beyond for 40 years. The organization is celebrating with a $40 for 40 years campaign during the annual DeMiero Jazz Fest March 10-12.

The DeMiero Jazz Festival is a non-profit corporation whose mission is to inspire young people to develop life skills through the music of jazz. it was founded by Frank DeMiero, a nationally recognized icon in the field of jazz education, and is held in Edmonds. Each year there are over 65 jazz choirs in attendance – elementary, middle and high school, college/university and community groups – representing over 1,500 musicians.

The list of headliners from past festivals reads like an encyclopedic history of the world’s greatest jazz musicians: John Pizzarelli Quartet, New York Voices, Jon Hendricks, Mark Murphy, Four Freshmen, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, the late Joe Williams, and many more.

The three-day festival consists of two important elements: daytime performances by students and evening concerts by professionals.

• Daytime performances by participating choirs are in a non-competitive environment in front of peers, adjudicators, and the general public. After their performances, they receive constructive critique by prominent jazz clinicians and educators. Unique to the DeMiero Festival, choirs and soloists are invited to meet and interact with guest artists during daily workshops and clinics. These informal and personal interactions often lead to moments of inspiration that participants treasure throughout their lives and careers.

• Evening concerts feature performances by the finest jazz vocalists and musicians in the world…individually, and in special collaborative groupings (a unique tradition at the festival).

Special “Post Show Jam Sessions” are held each night and feature impromptu performances by the guest artists, along with a few especially talented student participants.

Your donation will provide life-changing opportunities for the young musicians who attend the annual DeMiero Jazz Fest. Your tax-deductible donation will help the festival:

• Invite the jazz world’s greatest educators and musicians to present workshops and clinics.
• Subsidize registration fees to keep festival participation affordable for choirs (registration fees do not cover all of the festival expenses).
• Offer three evening concerts featuring world-class guest artists to both festival participants, and to the general public throughout the Puget Sound area.

You can click on this link to make a donation.