Vail Jazz Foundation’s new Executive Director Amanda Blevins hopes to help jazz ‘wash away the dust of everyday life’
Festival returns June 8 to Sept. 6
Special to the Daily
The Vail Jazz Foundation, celebrating 27 years of bringing jazz to the valley, announced that Director of Development Amanda Blevins will be elevated to the executive director role effective May 1. The role has been filled by founder and Artistic Director Howard Stone since April 6, 2020.
“It’s been a tough year for everyone, and Amanda’s leadership, dedication and forward-thinking has enabled this organization to remain healthy,” said Garret Davies, vice chair of the board, in the announcement. “I could think of no better person to run this organization.”
Blevins joined Vail Jazz in 2018, coming to the organization with experience in business development and deep roots in the Vail Valley. Blevins will be responsible for leading Vail Jazz in its mission of perpetuating jazz through the presentation of jazz performances and educational programs.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to carry forward the legacy of the Vail Jazz Foundation as executive director. Vail Jazz has been a cultural staple in Eagle County for over 27 years, and I feel privileged to be elected as the steward at the helm of this institution,” Blevins said. “Art Blakely put it best when he said, ‘Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life,’ and I couldn’t be more thrilled to deliver on that quote.”
Vail Jazz also announced that live jazz will return to Vail this summer with the 27th annual Vail Jazz Festival. The festival will run from July 8 to Sept. 6, with a robust series of world-class jazz performances in Vail.
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The festival will include:
- 8 Thursday evening headliner concerts
- 8 free Sunday evening shows
- The five-day Vail Jazz Party over Labor Day weekend
In addition, the Vail Jazz Workshop, which immerses pre-college musicians in intensive jazz training, will be held in-person, after being held online last summer.
All events will follow state and local health guidelines and therefore may be subject to change, however the full lineup, ticket and venue information will be available in the coming weeks.
“We’re beyond excited to bring live jazz to Vail this summer with a stellar series of performances that will showcase the broad spectrum of jazz,” Stone said. “When we launched the festival back in 1995, we never imagined that we’d be thriving 27 years later, let alone survive a pandemic. We’re so grateful to our extraordinary community of musicians, supporters and audiences that helped us get to this stage. The energy and enthusiasm among our staff and board is palpable.”
Daily file photo
For more information about the Vail Jazz Foundation and the Vail Jazz Festival, visit VailJazz.org.
