{"id":887208,"date":"2026-03-23T06:00:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T13:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heraldnet.com\/?post_type=sponsored&#038;p=887208"},"modified":"2026-03-23T10:04:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:04:13","slug":"jazz-port-townsend-2026-tradition-meets-the-future-of-jazz","status":"publish","type":"sponsored","link":"https:\/\/www.heraldnet.com\/sponsored-content\/jazz-port-townsend-2026-tradition-meets-the-future-of-jazz\/","title":{"rendered":"Jazz Port Townsend 2026: Tradition meets the future of jazz"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><em>The 7-day workshop and festival is at Fort Worden State Park July 20 to 26<\/em><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jazz Port Townsend is a <a href=\"https:\/\/centrum.org\/program\/jazz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">seven-day intensive workshop and festival<\/a> dedicated to the study, performance and advancement of jazz. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set within the historic and inspiring environment of Fort Worden State Park, the program brings together approximately 160 instrumentalists and vocalists (ages 14 and older) from across the United States for rigorous musical exploration within a collaborative community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the artistic direction of pianist, composer and educator <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/centrum.org\/faculty\/name\/dawn-clement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dawn Clement<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the workshop upholds a commitment to both the lineage and evolution of the art form. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants engage directly with a distinguished faculty representing multiple generations of jazz mastery \u2013 artists whose careers encompass major recordings, international touring, university appointments and significant contributions to the music\u2019s ongoing development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Faculty have included such luminaries as <\/span>Rufus Reid, George Cables, Wycliffe Gordon, Terell Stafford, Allison Miller, Matt Wilson, Ben Wendel, Christine Jensen, Pat Bianchi, Sara Caswell, Shane Endsley, Steve Kovalcheck<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and many others. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These artists are not only celebrated performers, but dedicated educators who bring deep pedagogical experience and a commitment to mentorship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The curriculum is comprehensive and performance centered. Participants are placed in small combos or vocal ensembles for daily coached rehearsals. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instrument-specific master classes (Tuesday to Friday) provide focused technical and artistic instruction. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Special Topics classes examine advanced subjects in improvisation, composition, ensemble communication and the broader cultural context of jazz. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Evening jam sessions, a Reading Big Band (by application), and participant performances round out the academic experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The week culminates in the four-day Jazz Port Townsend Festival, featuring faculty performances in both intimate club settings and Mainstage concerts in McCurdy Pavilion \u2013 offering students rare access to observe master artists in performance at the highest level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jazz Port Townsend is designed for serious students of the music \u2013 high school, collegiate, adult and professional musicians seeking artistic challenge, community and meaningful engagement with today\u2019s leading voices in jazz.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more information, visit <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/centrum.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">centrum.org<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":887393,"template":"","sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-887208","sponsored","type-sponsored","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heraldnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sponsored\/887208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heraldnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sponsored"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heraldnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sponsored"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heraldnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/887393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heraldnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=887208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"sponsors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heraldnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sponsors?post=887208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}