The Fond du Lac Jazz Festival is the culmination of the Jazz Appreciation Month events presented at THELMA in partnership with The Fond du Lac Jazz Festival and Education Foundation, Inc. and the Lighthouse Big Band. The festival, which began in 1983, is among the longest running jazz festivals in the state of Wisconsin.

This year's festival presents the music of Fond du Lac native Mario Friedel, from the Stellar Records release "Under the Venus Moon."  In fact, the entire recording will be performed live by the original artists, internationally acclaimed jazz vocalist and local legend Janet Planet and saxophonist Tom Washatka, accompanied by the Lighthouse Big Band, resident ensemble at THELMA.

Jazz fest weekend begins at 6:30 pm Friday evening with a meet-and-greet and clinic event with the headliners (Janet Planet, Tom Washatka, and Mario Friedel) along with Students' Jam!, an exciting new program that brings jazz and improvisation opportunities to students of all ages. The headliners will spend some time working with the Students' Jam! group, and Mario Friedel is composing a song especially for this event, to be learned on Friday and presented by Students' Jam! at Saturday's concert. The headliners and all performers will be available to meet with audience members during the course of the evening. This will be a FREE event, with a donation being requested to help support Students' Jam! into the future.

Date: April 28, 2023

Time: 6:30 PM

Location:
Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts
51 Sheboygan Street
Fond du Lac, WI 54935

Price/Tickets: Free Admission

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