7th Solo Piano Festival

For all music lovers, not just pianists, interested in both the practical and spiritual aspects of jazz and improvised music
     

The Vermont Jazz Center celebrates the vital impact the piano has played in the history of jazz by hosting its 7th annual Solo Jazz Piano Festival. Michael Weiss, Dan Tepfer, Myra Melford, and Orrin Evans headline the event with emerging artists Shiyu Fang and Remi Savard.

               

The Solo Jazz Piano Festival, now in its seventh year, is one of the cornerstones of the VJC’s programming. The festival has presented some of the world’s top pianists and most important musical innovators of this generation including NEA Jazz Masters Toshiko Akiyoshi and Joanne Brackeen, acknowledged luminaries Stanley Cowell, Benny Green, Sullivan Fortner, Kenny Werner, and many others. The Solo Jazz Piano Festival continues to be a unique opportunity for audiences of all backgrounds to communicate directly with the artists as they divulge their methods and teachings through performances and presentations. The VJC is honored to continue this important tradition in Brattleboro. 

Each of this year’s artists is highly regarded by jazz lovers around the world. They are all virtuosic in their abilities and have released numerous, celebrated recordings as leaders and side-people. But what sets this group of four apart is that each individual conveys a completely distinct approach to the instrument. Each pianist is a mature example of an artist who has developed an instantly recognizable vocabulary and personal style.

Tickets for the in-person show are offered on a sliding fee scale and all seats are general admission. Full festival pass: $80-$120; Individual headliner concerts: $20 – $50; Saturday daytime pass: $60. All tickets are general admission and offered on a sliding fee scale (except the Saturday daytime pass). Mask wearing is optional and light refreshment will be available. For accessibility questions please email ginger@vtjazz.org.

The online streaming of this concert is offered by donation. Suggested donations: full festival pass: $80-$120; Individual headliner concerts: $20 – $50; Saturday daytime pass: $60. Please give generously and support live music. Access to the on-line event can be found online here on our home page and on our Facebook Live page.

Schedule

Friday & Saturday
April 21-22, 2023

April 21, 2022
FRIDAY FEATURE PERFORMANCE – 7:30 pm
Michael Weiss/Dan Tepfer

Saturday, April 22
EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS – 10:00 am -5:30 pm 
10:00 Michael Weiss
11:00 Orrin Evans
12:00 Myra Melford
1:00    Lunch Break
2:00   Shiyu Fang, Emerging Artist Performance
2:45   Remi Savard, Emerging Artist Performance
3:30   Dan Tepfer
4:30  Pianist Panel Discussion (Juried Questions)
5:30  Dinner Break
SATURDAY FEATURE CONCERT – 7:30 pm
Myra Melford/Orrin Evans

Production
Sky Borax, Rob Freeberg – stage management; Elsa Borrero – graphic design; Michael Hanish – videography; Roshe Hebert – hospitality; Dan Langa, Niko Uman Borrero, Gaia Uman Borrero – communications; Ginger Morawski – administration and hospitality; Julian McBrowne – sound engineer; Jeff Starratt – photograph; Robby Roiter – staffing; Gerald Stockman – lighting design; Eugene Uman – VJC director and curator

Gratitude
The VJC’s Solo Jazz Piano Festival is a tribute to Mike McKenzie who, for the last 25 years has provided artists performing at the VJC with the finest pianos possible, including the Steinway D Concert Grand upon which this festival was founded. VJC is grateful to our many volunteers, and especially appreciative of our sponsors: two members of the VJC Summer Jazz Workshop community and Katy Oz. Their generosity is what has made this festival a reality. VJC acknowledges the Thompson Trust, the Windham Foundation, the Vermont Arts Council, the Vermont Humanities Council, and the New England Foundation of the Arts for their steadfast support and appreciates the excellent, pro-bono work by William Ballard and the exquisite care by Crystal Fielding as piano technicians.