#Iowa city jazz fest professional

The festival brought not only a variety of musicians but also a range of attendees, such as Kusha Nezafti, a lecturer from Grinnell College who was attending the festival for the first time with a colleague. “At the festival it’s really cool, because it’s just a bunch of jazz lovers here to hear our music,” he said. The group comprises high-school or recently graduated students who are nominated to the group by their directors. Johnny Hartleip, a member of the North Corridor Jazz All-Stars, played with the All-Stars on July 1 on the Main Stage.

#Iowa city jazz fest professional

Performers with a variety of skills - middle-school and high-school performers as well as professional musicians - graced the festival stage. “It’s the members of this community that make the Summer of the Arts, specifically the Iowa City Jazz Festival, the success that it is,” Roundtree said. The Jazz Festival is free to all listeners and is funded through donations while being worked by volunteers, said Shanti Roundtree, a board member for the Summer of the Arts. “We have people contacting us year-round saying, ‘I really want to do the Iowa City Jazz Festival.’ The community itself is very supportive, as well as having people from throughout the country that actually come in for this festival.” “We have so many performers that love coming to Iowa City,” she said.

Produced by the Summer of the Arts, the festival has taken place since 1991 and draws in an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 people, said Summer of the Arts Executive Director Lisa Barnes.

Revelers from across the district, state, and country came to enjoy live music, food, and artist vendors. The festival filled downtown from June 30 through Sunday.