Thanks to the support of the Healdsburg community, plans are moving forward to produce the next annual Healdsburg Jazz Festival next year, in 2011. Jessica Felix, founder and artistic director of the Festival, is formulating plans not only for the Festival line-up but interim music events, fund-raisers for the Festival, as well as recruiting for a new Board of Directors.

In addition, this original website for the Festival, www.healdsburgjazzfestival.org, has been recovered, and we are again listing events (and comments) for jazz in Healdsburg.

To review: The Board of Directors announced in July that there would be no festival in 2011, and that Jessica Felix, founder and artistic director, “will be leaving the organization.”  A number of people logged their comments about these actions on this page, where the original press release was posted.

Download PDF of these comments, 7-29 through 9-7-10 (PDF, 147 KB)

Other media — newspapers, blogs, websites — picked up on the news, and reported on the situation as listed on this page at healdsburgjazz.com, the sister site we created to continue announcing jazz bookings in Healdsburg.  In addition, a large number of jazz and other musicians made their voices heard in support of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival and Jessica Felix.  Their names can be found on the Musicians in Support page.

Then, in a surprise announcement made over the Labor Day weekend, 5 weeks following their initial press release, the Board of Directors voted to reinstate Jessica Felix as Artistic Director, and appoint her as temporary Chairperson of the non-profit organization. The Board then resigned as a group, leaving Felix in a position to appoint a new board for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, which she founded in 1999. More about this story, and the Board’s second press release, can be found on this post.

Press reactions to Board’s resignation:

• Bohemian blog by Gabe Meline, Sept. 7 (PDF, 34 kb)
• Press Democrat article, Sept 8 (PDF, 245 kb)
• Healdsburg Tribune, Sept. 8 (PDF, 41 kb)
• San Francisco Chronicle, Sept. 20 (PDF, 78 kb)

Felix released a statement that includes  thanks to her many supporters and friends of jazz, an olive branch to the departing Board of Directors, and a plea for donations via this website to convert  enthusiasm into the commitment of revenue.  Please visit our donation page to show your support of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival.