JazzArt Friends,

I walked into the office the other day, a rare occasion now, and a piece of paper on my desk caught my eye. It hit me that one year ago was the last “Jazz In Schools” assembly program we held inside a middle school, we were also wrapping up our yearlong 10th anniversary celebration, and a very exciting sold out March 2020 Women In Jazz weekends was days away at the JAZZ ROOM.

It has been a year since we were officially in a global pandemic, a year since I greeted you from the stage with Curtis at the JAZZ ROOM, a year since we had an in-person JazzArts Academy youth session, and a year since our amazing volunteers and staff have worked together in the same space.

From everyone at JazzArts Charlotte, we miss you!

What a year it has been… We are grateful that we were able to pivot early to offer ongoing programs such as the online conversations and performances to keep us connected and engaged. Since this past fall, some of you have participated in our new adult educational workshops and signed up your students for continued jazz education online. We hope that this adapted form of online connectivity and learning as been a bit of jazz therapy as we plan to relaunch our in-person programs.

So, you may ask, what’s next for JazzArts Charlotte? Over the past several months, we have been planning towards an exciting future for the organization. Your ongoing support along with recent grants have allowed us to 1) continue and develop new programs in response to our environment 2) expand our talented JazzArts staff and 3) plan for a stronger, more sustainable JazzArts. We are excited to not only plan to see you again in the coming months at the Stage Door Theater, but also to continue to connect the community through creativity and new partnerships in the year ahead.

Now that springtime is here and the hope for beautiful weather, we are excited to launch a series of outdoor events, starting next month. More information to come! We continue to watch the horizon for new opportunities to safely get back to live music and educational activities, including our 2021 JazzArts Summer Music Camp (in early June).

We are so grateful for your ongoing energy and support throughout this process, and we look forward to the opportunity to see you in the weeks and months ahead! Remember, because of you, Jazz still lives here in Charlotte!

JazzArts Friends, please continue to be well.

Always with warmth and gratitude,

Lonnie Davis