CLEVELAND — Each year, the annual Tri- C JazzFest bring tens of thousands of people to Cleveland. However, because of the coronavirus pandemic, while still bringing people together, the festival will look a bit different this year.
The 41st festival will virtually take place Friday August 21 and Saturday August 22.
"Tri-C JazzFest will make toes tap this year, just in a different way. The show, as they say, must go on," organizers said in a press release Monday.
The event will be free, but virtual attendees will have the opportunity to donate to the Cuyahoga Community College’s Student Emergency Fund. Money raised will specifically benefit creative arts students experiencing unforeseen financial challenges with the potential to derail their studies.
“The format may be different this year, but music is about the moment,” said Terri Pontremoli, director of Tri-C JazzFest. “We’re going to provide plenty of those for our audience while making a difference for our students.”
The virtual festival will feature both pre-recorded and live performances from local acts, drop-in interviews with jazz icons, and a look back at memorable moments from past Tri-C JazzFests.
Acclaimed trumpeter Dominick Farinacci will perform and serve as host of the virtual festival. Farinacci’s path to becoming an international recording artist began in the classrooms of Cuyahoga Community College two decades ago.
The full lineup of performers will be announced June 18.
“COVID-19 may have canceled the June weekend festival, but it will not silence the music.”
The virtual Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland is presented by KeyBank and made possible by Cuyahoga Community College, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ohio Arts Council, Strassman Insurance Services Inc., The George Gund Foundation and a growing list of donors and vendors.
