International Jazz Returns to Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Public School (CPS) International Jazz Festival, hosted by Activities Beyond the Classroom (ABC), will return to Cincinnati on May 6, 2023, at the Aronoff Center for the Performing Arts. Acclaimed jazz artist and educator Joan Chamorro will again take the main stage at this event, and this time he will be accompanied by not only Cincinnati students, but also eight of his Barcelona-based Sant Andreu Jazz Band students.

The students will be rejoining their peers from Cincinnati, after eleven of our own Cincinnati Jazz Academy students attended the Barcelona-based Jazzing Festival in September. There, international students performed and jammed together in similar master classes and workshops. The trip, sponsored by both ABC and the Kennedy Heights Arts Center, was a first for most students out of the country; for many, it was also their first time leaving Cincinnati. “We could not have done this without ABC,” Dr. Isidore Rudnick, Fine Arts Curriculum Manager at CPS commented. “ABC makes things happen.”

At this year’s Jazz Festival, students from Barcelona and across Cincinnati alike will partake in workshops, jam sessions, and an evening performance with Joan Chamorro and other local and regional jazz musicians. All workshops will begin at 2:00 p.m. and will be completely free and open to the public, and will not require advance registration. The evening performance will start at 7:00 p.m. and will also be completely free and open to the public to attend. ABC will also partner with the International Sister Cities Association to bring a new visual art installation to the lobby of the Aronoff before the show. The installation will include pieces of art by children all over the world inspired by friendship.

The festival will be a celebration of both the Jazz Academy’s achievements and of the wide variety of arts programming brought to Cincinnati students by ABC. Reaching over 15,000 students every year, ABCs free programs include music, 2D and 3D visual art, dance, drama, and more. “It’s amazing what these students can do, when they are given the opportunities to explore artistic expression,” shared Sally Grimes, Executive Director at ABC.