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CONTACT : Jessica Felix, 707-433-4633
Healdsburg Jazz Festival Receives National Endowment for the Arts “Art Works” Grant to Support “Celebration of the Blues”
Healdsburg, CA – The Healdsburg Jazz Festival is one of 895 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant, according to National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa. The Festival, embarking on its 16th year of bringing live jazz performance to the Sonoma County town, was awarded with a $20,000 grant to support the two-day “Celebration of the Blues” concerts on May 31 and June 1, as part of the 2014 Healdsburg Jazz Festival.
The Celebration of the Blues will feature Sonoma County musician Charlie Musselwhite, a three-time Grammy nominee for 2013. The blues harmonica player serves as musical director for the two-day Celebration, and has enlisted other blues, Latin and jazz musicians to explore the relationship between the improvisational musical forms they represent. Musicians announced so far include, in addition to Musselwhite, Joshua Redman, John Santos, Elvin Bishop, Guy Davis and others.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to present this historic two-day event,” said Jessica Felix, founder and artistic director of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival. “Certainly having the NEA’s help through this Art Works grant enables us to present the high quality concerts our audiences have come to expect.”
Acting NEA Chairman Shigekawa said, “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support these exciting and diverse arts projects that will take place throughout the United States. Whether it is through a focus on education, engagement, or innovation, these projects all contribute to vibrant communities and memorable experiences for the public to engage with the arts.”
Art Works grants support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence: public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and enhancing the livability of communities through the arts. The NEA received 1,528 eligible Art Works applications, requesting more than $75 million in funding. Of those applications, 895 are recommended for grants for a total of $ 23.4 million. For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, please visit the NEA website at arts.gov.
The Healdsburg Jazz Festival stimulates interest in and promotes awareness and appreciation of jazz by facilitating cross-cultural interaction, providing performance opportunities, and educating young people and adults about the important role of jazz as an indigenous American art form. To learn more visit their website at healdsburgjazz.org.
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