ABOUT RIJF
The Rochester International Jazz Festival (RIJF)is one of the world’s leading jazz festivals. 2025 marks the Festival's 22nd Edition, which will be June 20 - 28. The annual nine-day festival is held annually in June in Rochester, NY, presenting more than 1750 legendary performers, familiar favorites, rising stars, and new discoveries from around the world in 300 shows. Park once and w
alk to all 20venues! Visit our website http://www.rochesterjazz.com to buy tickets, see the schedule, news, artist bios, venue information, brochures, maps, travel tips, and more. Since it was founded in 2002, attendance has grown from 15,000 in 2002 to 211,000 in 2023. Festival Series
The multidimensional festival navigates all genres of creative improvised music, bringing together unique musical sounds from many countries, highlighting international artists' take on the only truly American art form - jazz. It is presented in three series: Headliner, Club Pass, and Free Shows. There are also nightly jam sessions and workshops for young musicians.
- The Headliner Series presents a mix of ticketed reserved seat shows at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre and free shows on outdoor stages.
- Club Pass Series of 216 shows, is accessible with the festival's unique value pass to discovery, the Club Pass, or single entry cash only at the door. The popular Club Pass provides access to all club venues to sample a wide spectrum of music. It's no wonder the festival motto is "It's not just who you know, it's who you don't know."
- 100+ free shows and events, including outdoor stage headliners, workshops for music students, and nightly jam sessions, where there's no telling who will drop in to play. It's said that jazz never sleeps and this event proves it as the music goes on deep into the night – often with unsung musicians who electrify the room. Jazz Scholarship Program
Our jazz scholarship program has awarded almost $500,000 in scholarships to 44 students entering Eastman School of Music since 2002. Pandemic Impact
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 19th Edition festival was rescheduled from its original dates of June 19-27, 2020, to Oct 2-10, 2020, and then to June 18-26, 2021, and then to July 30-Aug 7 and finally to June 17-25, 2022, when it set an all-time attendance record. Rising Recognition
The Festival's popularity continues to escalate. We are grateful to be recognized on local and national levels year after year.
- The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2022 - Travel & Leisure Magazine
- Best Arts Event 2022 - CITY Newspaper Readers Poll
- Best Music Festival 2022 - CITY Newspaper Readers Poll
- Most Missed Local Festival of 2020 by City Newspaper Readers Oct 2020
- Best Festival: Rochester Business Journal Reader Rankings 2019, 2022
- Best Summer Jazz Festivals in the World 2019 by Dandelion Chandelier
- Jazz Festivals 2019: Best Jazz Fests in New Orleans, Jacksonville & Rochester
- Repeatedly named the top favorite arts and cultural event by Rochester Business Journal readers for the last 7 years
- Best Festival by City Newspaper for the last 12 years
- One of the Top 10 Best Jazz Festivals in USA by Festicket.com
- One of the Best 50 Music Festivals in the World by Culture Trip
- The Top 15 Festivals in New York to Experience Before You Die
Nurturing the Next Generation
Investing in the next generation is a major focus of the festival. The festival established the first jazz music scholarship at the renowned Eastman School of Music, awarding almost $500,000 to 42 students to attend the prestigious school since the festival began in 2002. Each year a free scholarship concert is held during the festival featuring the scholarship winners. Since 2013 an expanded Youth Jazz Workshop Series led by visiting musicians has been offered over five days for music students of all ages and is sponsored by Wegmans. More than 20 high school jazz bands, the best in the region, are invited to perform each year on the Jazz Street stage. Many youth ensembles from the Eastman School's community education program are also given an opportunity to play. Economic Impact
In addition to delivering an exhilarating and diverse program of music, RIJF is also proud to have made a significant economic impact on the Rochester region, exceeding $200 million over 20 years. Impacting tourism - people come from all across the world to attend, corporations schedule major meetings and events during the festival, travel and meeting planners attend to explore the region for future meetings and conferences, and local music lovers often take the week off to enjoy all nine days of the festivities without worrying about staying up late! The festival's impact can also be felt throughout the year. It has paved the way for more live music in area venues and built audiences for many artists who are invited back by other area organizations for fundraisers and concerts. The RIJF organization has been a tireless advocate for the arts as a key sector of our economy and a significant influence in showcasing Rochester, New York's wide-ranging resources and riches in the cultural arts, making it a destination for people worldwide. JAM SESSIONS
Nightly from 10:30 – 'til... at the festival's official hotel, the Hyatt Regency Rochester. No cover charge. Food and beverages available. Led by Bob Sneider and Mike Cottone. The Rochester International Jazz Festival is produced by RIJF, LLC, a privately held company owned by John Nugent and Marc Iacona. Nugent, Producer and Artistic Director, is a noted tenor sax player, who has traveled the world with many jazz artists, including Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, The Woody Herman Orchestra, and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Marc Iacona, Producer and Executive Director, is a Rochester native and President of Simcona Electronics. A business and community leader, he is an avid trumpeter and supporter of the arts.
