Together we will hear six brilliant pianists perform and discuss their relationship to music, to the jazz lineage, to structure and to freedom. The VJC invites you to participate in a festival that showcases artists who have invested their lives and artistic practices in the sounds of the piano which spring forth with reverence and joy. The Vermont Jazz Center celebrates the vital impact the piano has played in the history of jazz by hosting its 7th annual Solo Jazz Piano Festival. Michael Weiss, Dan Tepfer, Myra Melford, and Orrin Evans headline the event with emerging artists Shiyu Fang and Remi Savard.

The Solo Jazz Piano Festival, now in its seventh year, is one of the cornerstones of the VJC’s programming. The festival has presented some of the world’s top pianists and most important musical innovators of this generation including  NEA Jazz Masters Toshiko Akiyoshi and Joanne Brackeen, acknowledged luminaries Stanley Cowell, Benny Green, Sullivan Fortner, Kenny Werner, and many others. The Solo Jazz Piano Festival continues to be a unique opportunity for audiences of all backgrounds to communicate directly with the artists as they divulge their methods and teachings through performances and presentations. The VJC is honored to continue this important tradition in Brattleboro.

Each of this year’s artists is highly regarded by jazz lovers around the world. They are all virtuosic in their abilities and have released numerous, celebrated recordings as leaders and side-people. But what sets this group of four apart is that each individual conveys a completely distinct approach to the instrument. Each pianist is a mature example of an artist who has developed an instantly recognizable vocabulary and personal style.