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ANNUAL REPORT 2024

Letter from Executive Director

Letter from Artistic Director

Highlights and Milestones

Community Outreach

Scholarship Program & School Outreach

Board Members

Sponsors and Partners

Financials

Letter from Executive Director

Suzanne Waldowski

This year can best be described as one of intentional focus and meaningful impact. We continued to present concerts across the country, prioritizing venues and communities with whom we’ve built strong, lasting relationships.

A standout moment was Flying High, a threenight run at New York City’s iconic Birdland, where we performed to sold-out audiences. We are thrilled to be returning to Birdland in both 2025 and 2026.

Operating with a more streamlined budget, we made the strategic decision to focus on programming most closely aligned with our mission: bringing live music to audiences of all ages who have limited access to the arts. This included:

Performances at San Francisco elementary schools, reaching over 300 children

70 concerts at nursing care facilities and senior living communities in the Bay Area and Los Angeles

Expansion of our scholarship program, with outreach extended across California. This resulted in triple the number of entries compared to the previous year, with applications from new cities and schools. We proudly hired the winning scholars to perform at our outreach concerts in both the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

This year’s focused efforts not only deepened our impact but also expanded our base of support. We saw notable growth in audiences and donors across California, particularly in the Bay Area, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

We are proud of what we accomplished this year and even more excited for what lies ahead.

Letter from Artistic Director

Konrad Paszkudzki

It's been an exciting year at Jazz at the Ballroom with world-class performances presented all over the country.

We kicked things off with a Valentine’s Day tribute in Atlanta celebrating Nancy Wilson and Peggy Lee, featuring jazz standout Ekep Nkwelle and Grammy/Tony winner Bryan Carter Later in the year, we brought Things Are Swingin’, another Peggy Lee tribute, to San Diego.

One of the real crowd-pleasers was Swing State, a tribute to mid-century jazz that lit up the Hillsborough Racquet Club. It starred Telarc recording artist Melissa Morgan and Ella Fitzgerald International Vocal Competition winner April Varner—both bringing serious talent to the stage.

In August, Jazz at the Ballroom was front and center at the Lewiston Jazz Festival. This was a big one, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Jazz Buffalo, the Lewiston festival, and Jazz at the Ballroom. We brought three of our most popular shows: Get Out of Town, Accentuate the Positive, and Flying High to the main stage in front of over 20,000 people. The response was incredible, and it was a true celebration of the Great American Songbook and the power of music nonprofits to keep this art form alive and thriving.

Beyond the stage, what continues to mean the most is our community outreach. Bringing our music and musicians into assisted living centers, memory care wards, and schools through our scholarship program has been some of the most meaningful and inspiring work we do. It’s truly special to see the way music connects and uplifts people in every setting

Highlights and Milestones

We continued presenting concerts across the country, focusing on venues and communities where we’ve built strong, lasting relationships. A true highlight was “Flying High,” a three-night run at New York City’s legendary Birdland, where we played to sold-out audiences. We're thrilled to be returning to Birdland in both 2025 and 2026.

With a more streamlined budget this year, we made a strategic shift to focus on programming that best reflects our mission: bringing live music to audiences of all ages who have limited access to the arts. This included: Performances at San Francisco elementary schools, reaching over 300 children 70 concerts at nursing care facilities and senior living communities throughout the Bay Area and Los Angeles

A significant expansion of our scholarship program, with outreach extended across California. We received three times as many applications as the previous year, including submissions from new cities and schools. We're especially proud to have hired our winning scholars to perform at outreach concerts in both the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

Community Outreach

In 2024, we were proud to present over 70 live concerts at nursing homes and other senior living facilities across both Northern and Southern California. These performances brought high-quality, joyful music directly to seniors who might not otherwise have access to live cultural experiences. Our musicians shared not only their talent, but also meaningful moments of connection. The response has been deeply moving, and rather than speak for the impact, we’ll let the words of the staff and caregivers tell the story. Their heartfelt feedback reminds us why this work matters. We look forward to continuing and expanding this vital outreach in the year ahead

“Thank you again. We feel so blessed and fortunate to have your quality of music”

“ ... it is a BIG deal for the residents when you come. they get so excited, and the gals spend lots of time getting ready in their rooms for the concerts”

“YAAAY! They were so AMAZING!!! Thank you!!!“

Scholarship Program and School Outreach

Another part of our community outreach in 2024 brought live jazz into public schools, reaching over 200 students who don’t have regular access to arts education in their curriculum. Our musicians performed creative, jazz-style renditions of beloved Disney songs,. For many, it was their first time hearing live music up close (and especially jazz). In the words of a school principal:

“Thank you SO MUCH for making this happen again. Our students were raving about it to their families and they reached out to inquire about the performers! We are truly blessed to have them perform at McCoppin! I can’t wait for another visit!!!!”

We also expanded our scholarship program, which drew applicants from across California. The three incredibly talented winners each received a financial award and have the opportunity to perform at upcoming concerts and events

These initiatives reflect our deep commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists and audiences. We’re proud to help fill the gap in arts access and create lasting musical moments for students statewide.