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Once the afterglow of Litchfield Jazz Camp and the Festival dims, the wrapup/cleanup phase begins. I love this phase. It gives me time to read letters that have piled up on my desk all through July. Last week, I found this.

“Please find enclosed our donation to Litchfield Performing Arts. We have been supporters of the Litchfield Jazz Festival for almost all of the 30 years it has been in existence. We are in awe of the generations of musicians your team has trained at your jazz camp, many of whom have become star performers at the festival as well as in the world of music. Keep up the great work” R.S. MD, Roxbury, CT.

This year I got the chance to show our festivalgoers—not just tell them—what it is we really do here. We celebrated the 30th outing of Jazz Camp, and I had the pleasure of curating Festival sets that blended the talents of longstanding, world-renowned LJC faculty members with some of our younger faculty. Guitarist Paul Bollenback selected 27-year-old Alejandra Williams as his set’s pianist. Now a pro, Alejandra began her jazz journey with us as a 12-year-old camper.

To get a peek at a few of this summer’s talented campers at their creative best, Click Here.

Now for some thank-yous! First, thanks to our Festival audience who “got it,” loved it, and rewarded our performers with standing ovations! Thanks to our loyal donors, especially those whose sponsorship of festival sets meant we did not have to raise ticket prices to cover fees. Your gifts allowed us to approach this year-end in balance and still provide financial support to all the campers who needed it. Because of you, we have yet to turn down a student in need. Not once. We are enormously grateful for you, for the best Board and staff anyone could ever ask for, and for the support of The Frederick Gunn School which opens its arms and facilities to all of us.

My team and I are already developing 2027 programs for jazz campers from teens to adults and a lineup for a Festival you will love! Because public funding can be perfidious, I am coming to you as I do each fall to ask for your help so we can be sure we’ll have the funds to accomplish all we do and still pay our artists and staff fairly.

For 45 years now, you have helped us keep this equation in balance. Did you know that 80% of support for not-for-profits comes from people just like you? So, please keep up your efforts and we’ll keep going after grant awards like the one we received this year from the NEA for Jazz Camp and the one from the CT Department of Education that funded Swinging Saturdays, a new, free, music-rich program for youth in the New Haven region throughout the winter and spring.

With a team like you-all and us, we can’t miss! Thanks for always being there.

With warm regards,

Litchfield Performing Arts, Inc.

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