Vail Jazz was founded in 1995 by real estate attorney and investor Howard Stone and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization now in its 32nd year of operation. What began with the inaugural Vail Jazz Party quickly evolved into a broader vision: to create a year-round organization dedicated to the perpetuation of jazz, with a strong emphasis on education, access, and the development of young musicians and audiences.

Today, Vail Jazz presents nationally recognized performances, immersive educational programs, and community-based initiatives that reach thousands of students, emerging artists, and jazz lovers each year. Building on nearly three decades of artistic excellence, Vail Jazz continues to cultivate the next generation of jazz musicians and listeners while celebrating the art form’s legacy and future in the Vail Valley and beyond.

Today, the State of Colorado, Eagle County and the Town of Vail are all beneficiaries of Stone’s vision, which manifests itself in a workshop which has contributed to the musical and professional development of over 300 of the nation’s finest high school aged jazz musicians (Vail Jazz Workshop), a music education program for 4th and 5th graders that reaches approximately 1,000 children a year (Jazz Goes to School), a community-based hands-on music education experience for children 12 and under (Jammin’ Jazz Kids) and a weekend long festival over Labor Day weekend that brings together world class musicians and audiences from across the globe (The Vail Jazz Festival). Vail Jazz has become a staple of the performing arts and music education, reaching thousands of children and families each year through its performances and educational programs.

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