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LETTER FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SUZANNE WALDOWSKI

With 20+ shows for the public and 30+ outreach concerts, the past year has been a welcome reminder that there is life beyond COVID (and all the restrictions, questions, and concerns that came with it). It was a thrill to share jazz and its history with new audiences and at historic venues, including Mahaiwe and Lobero Theatres which, since 1905 and 1924 respectively, have been paragons in supporting the arts. Just to stand on those stages and imagine the others who have done so before us made juggling all the expected and unexpected moving parts worth it (concert presentation is nothing if not lively).

Our annual fundraiser in September typified just that. The date was changed (twice), after which the bandleader found out he needed to have surgery and could not travel. Everything that could have added to the complexity of the event did just that. But the dedication and creativity of our team allowed us to pull it all together.

While the evening did not reach the level of financial success we had expected, the night brought more press and a higher attendance than ever before. With the support of such partners, we’ll be able to remain focused on the Bay Area—growing our outreach and building stronger relationships within our community. Another year of sharing fantastic music awaits us!

LETTER FROM KONRAD PASZKUDZKI, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

The evolution of the organization continues! 2023 witnessed the expansion of Jazz at the Ballroom into some remarkable new endeavors. As an organization, we continued sharing music with more people than ever imagined. Local outreach concerts in the Bay Area remained the pillar, where world-class musicians brightened the spirits of residents in memory loss wards, assisted living communities, and students at local schools, through performances and workshops.

Our signature and often themed “JATB presents” concerts, that champion the joy, spirit and intersection of classic American jazz and the Great American Songbook, continued scaling to great acclaim across the nation.

However, most notably in 2023, JATB had the remarkable opportunity to partner with the legendary journalist from NBC, Pete Williams, for the creation of our very own podcast, “Mighty Fine Music.” Pete and I were able to capture ten full interviews sprinkled with spontaneous performances with jazz luminaries across the country. It goes without saying that each artist just happens to be a major contributor in

the world of jazz and the Songbook. To mark the completion of “Season One,” we recorded a live interview and performance with jazz legend, Carmen Bradford, at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.

As Artistic Director, for me, the podcast project marks the perfect intersection and interaction between jazz and media stars and collaborations with esteemed organizations in the city of San Francisco. Plans remain to launch all episodes of Season One with a radio partner TBD. With me at the piano and Pete Williams leading the way with his iconic interview and reporting skills, the glue that holds it all together and keeps the music playing is, of course, Jazz at the Ballroom.

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HIGHLIGHTS AND MILESTONES IN 2023

Through our partnership with the Burlingame Public Library, we presented a tribute to Frank Sinatra that included a concert by Tony DeSare accompanied by well-known writer, Tom Santopietro, author of “Sinatra in Hollywood.”

Through a grant from Taube Philanthropies, we presented a live presentation of our nascent podcast, “Mighty Fine Music.” The sold out show had former NBC news correspondent, Pete Williams, interviewing Carmen Bradford about her stellar music career, including her start with the Count Basie Orchestra.

We had a special holiday show at Boho Manor, the location of the filming of Bing Crosby’s “Holiday Inn.” Popular new vocalist, Stella Cole, joined us for a concert and livestream celebrating the holiday music made famous by Bing Crosby.

30+ 130+

We had 30+ outreach concerts, expanding into Southern California and Santa Clara County

Employed 130+ musicians

100+ 10+

Presented 23 concerts around the country, including at the Berkshire’s historic Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.

Included 10+ students in our concerts to play alongside professional musicians

Brought music to 100+ elementary school students with concerts that combined classic jazz with Disney music

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AND OUTREACH IN THE COMMUNITY

For several years now, we’ve been talking about growing our presence in Southern California so we were thrilled to find that one of this year’s scholarship winners was from Los Angeles. As part of the award, all the winners are hired to play at outreach performances with our professional musicians. With their help, we were able to have over 30 concerts at nursing homes, hospitals, memory loss units, and senior living communities. All the better that, this year, we did so in both Northern and Southern California.

Our judges are the ones who make this program possible: Harry Allen, Alex Frank, Champian Fulton, Pasquale Grasso, and Konrad Paszkudzki. They spend a lot of time listening to submission tracks from the impressive student musicians we have throughout the State.