CGI Rochester International Jazz Fest lineup announced

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – It’s a star-studded lineup for the 2023 CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival. Multi-instrumentalist Trombone Shorty is returning for another free show and jazz vocalist Samara Joy is performing at Kodak Hall after her recent Grammy win.

Festival organizers announced the full lineup on Tuesday at a conference alongside Mayor Malik Evans and Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. Before the announcement, we only knew that legendary blues singer and guitarist Bonnie Raitt and jazz guitarist Pat Metheny would perform at Kodak Hall.

Executive Director and producer Marc Iacona said the 20^th anniversary of Jazz Fest is something to celebrate.

“We are also dedicated to working with dozens of local businesses, creating an economic impact of almost over 200 million dollars in the past 20 years,” he said.

Producer and Artistic Director John Nugent said the milestone didn’t come without some challenges.

“Due to COVID, we came back after two years off and did nine nights. That was federally supported, but the government wasn’t able to support again this year,” he said.

He said there was a moment where nine days didn’t seem possible. But thankfully, some local sponsors stepped up to help.

“Wegmans stepped up to allow us to continue that process,” said Nugent.

“Because of the support that we’ve had, from our family members to our teams behind the scene making everything happen, we couldn’t have done it without you and this is a very unique event that’s happening in this town,” said Iacona.

Mayor Malik Evans said it’s also an opportunity to celebrate diversity, drawing residents and musicians from near and far. “One of the ways you drive out darkness, is by having light, and the Jazz Fest is a great light for this city,” he said. “It’s a great light because it allows us to showcase what many of us already know about Rochester.”

Now, the full lineup, featuring more than 300 acts across 19 venues, has been revealed. You can see the full schedule here.

More than 100 of the shows are free, including the headliners who will take the stage at Parcel 5 behind the view of downtown. There will also be plenty of free all-star performances at the Chestnut Street Stage, near the Eastman School of Music.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, who will close out the festival, most recently performed at the festival in 2019 and drew thousands.