MVP (Music Is Very Powerful) Program Launched By 2023 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival

The Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival Presented by Citizens launches the MVP (Music is Very Powerful) Program to continue to nurture the next generation of music audiences, deliver jazz to seniors in their communities, support musicians, and bring jazz to neighborhoods across the region. The program will offer a minimum 500 complimentary festival passes for Saturday and Sunday at Highmark Stadium on September 16-17, 2023. Regional musicians will receive 100 festival passes and 400 local high school and college students, with valid ID, will receive general admission festival passes. 

 

Janis Burley Wilson, President/Artistic Director of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center says, “Jazz music is passed down through friends and family, shared, and cultivated by exposure to the music, to the technique of masters, and is impactful. Music has fueled social justice movements, sustains us through tragedy and is a celebration of triumph. We are striving to create an environment of sharing and continue to support the local jazz scene in Pittsburgh.” 

 

Leading up to the festival, the PIJF will partner with the Carnegie Libraries of Pittsburgh to host FREE community concerts, Jazz in Your Library. The schedule is:

 

• September 2, 1:00-2:00 pm: Dennis Garner – Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh-Hazelwood Branch, 5006 Second Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15207
•  September 7, 5:30-6:30 pm: George Heid III – Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh-Woods Run Branch, 1201 Woods Run Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
• September 9, 1:00-2:00 pm: Howie Alexander – Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh-Homewood Branch, 7101 Hamilton Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15208
• September 12, 5:30-6:30 pm: Anita Levels – Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh-Brookline Branch, 708 Brookline Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15226 

 

Community Concerts with $5.00 cover charge (all proceeds benefit live music in these communities) include:

 

• September 8, 7:00-9:00 pm: James Johnson III Trio – Wilkinsburg-Eastridge Cultural Center, 1900 Graham Blvd, Wilkinsburg, PA 15221 
• September 15, 5:00-7:00 pm: Joe DeFazio, Calvin Stemley, Terry Levels & Dan Wasson – The Barn, 237 Jefferson Road, Penn Hills, PA 15235 

 

The annual Jazz Crawl winds its way across the city on September 15 at area restaurants. Prices and cover charges vary. 

 

• Cioppino Restaurant & Cigar Bar (Strip District), 2350 Railroad Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 | (412) 281-6593 | cioppinoofpittsburgh.com, Lori Russo & Key Factor, 7pm-10pm

 

• Thunderbird Café & Music Hall, 4053 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201 | (412) 682-0177 |thunderbirdmusichall.com

Con Alma and Thunderbird Present Sound of the Organ Trio featuring John Shannon Trio (John Shannon, guitar; Cliff Barnes, organ; James Johnson III, drums) and Norside Trio (Skip Sanders, organ; Steve Ippolito, drums, Glenn Strother, guitar)

 

• Con Alma (Downtown), 613 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 | (412) 932-2387 | conalmapgh.com

Alton Merrell Quartet, 6:00-9:00 pm

Reggie Watkins Sextet ft. Roger Humphries, 10:00 pm-1:00 am

 

Stew Cutler Band (NYC), September 16, 6:00-9:00 pm

Roger Humphries & RH Factor, September 16, 10:00 pm-1:00 am

 

New Orleans Jazz Brunch w/ The Colby's, September 17, 12:00-3:00 pm

 

• Eddie V's, Union Trust Building, 501 Grant St #100, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 | (412) 391-1714 | eddiev.com. Live Jazz 6:00-11:00 pm, Grace Elliot

 

• The Barn, 237 Jefferson Road, Penn Hills, PA 15235 | (412) 247-9066 | pennhebrongardenclub.com

Jazz with Joe DeFazio, Calvin Stemley, Terry Levels & Dan Wasson,

5:00-7:00 pm | $5 cover, light snacks for sale

 

For more information, please visit www.pittsburghjazzfest.org.

 

Tickets to the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival Presented by Citizens are on sale now at https://pittsburghjazzfest.org

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