2021 marks 30 YEARS of The Institute’s annual jazz festival!30th Anniversary Institute Jazz Festival features a NEW location, NEW time, and a band featuring some of the hottest young talent in jazz!
With a fabulous new location, the jazz festival continues to spotlight top professional artists each year that light up the outdoor stage with hot summer jazz.
This year’s headliner is trumpet player and singer, Benny Benack III, rising star on the jazz scene. Plus, guitarist Paul Bollenback returns—Paul has missed only a handful of our 30 years of jazz! The band also includes Alexander Claffy (bass), and Byron Landham (drums). See the full lineup with musician bios here.
The Jazz Festival will be at The Wharf, a beautiful, park-like property at 10141 Wharf Road, just 2.5 miles from downtown Waynesboro, Pa.
As always, the concert is offered free to the public. In case of rain, the concert will take place at an indoor area at the same location.
Conceived in 1992 and presented every year since, the Institute’s Jazz Festival was previously held at Renfrew Park and has featured a long list of jazz legends, including David “Fathead” Newman, Randy Brecker, Bud Shank, Houston Person, Gary Bartz, Karrin Allison, Lew Tabackin, Joey DeFranceso, Frank Morgan, Jeff “Tain”Watts, Rene Marie, Vincent Herring, Ingrid Jensen, Eric Alexander, Joe Locke, and Steve Wilson.
See the list of performers from 1992 through 2021 here.
In 2020, when audience capacity needed to be limited, the Jazz Fest concert was live-streamed around the world.
“After last year, we really wanted to do something special to mark the auspicious milestone of our 30th anniversary, while also looking to the future with great anticipation and excitement,” noted event founder Andrew Sussman.
“Thus, we are moving to a NEW location, a NEW time, and featuring some of the hottest young musicians in jazz,” Sussman said. “I believe Benny Benack and Alexander Claffy are both major talents and are going to be big stars in the jazz world. And we are thrilled to have jazz masters Paul Bollenback and Byron Landham back to round out this incredible quartet!”
To add to the celebration this year, the Pretzel Spot Café food truck will be on site and BYOB will be permitted.
Support for this event was provided by a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Further sponsors include The Hamilton Family Foundation on behalf of Hamilton Nissan and Hamilton Hyundai, Andrew and Sally Sussman, and the Franklin County Visitors Bureau, and The Institute’s Today’s Horizon Fund contributors: The Nora Roberts Foundation; the John R. Hershey Jr. and Anna L. Hershey Family Foundation; APX Enclosures, Inc.; The Carolyn Terry Eddy Family: Carolyn, with daughters Connie Fleagle & Kim Larkin. Facility support provided courtesy of Jeff and Nancy Mace.
Parking is available on the property. Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets, and picnics are welcome. As in the past, cold water will be available free to all attendees.
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