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Campus & Community Jazz Fest Celebrates 40th Year With Campus Events

Members of the United States Air Force Band’s Airmen of Note pose with their instruments at Mount Rushmore. (Photo courtesy of ÐÔÊÓ½ç International Jazz Fest)

Jazz Fest Celebrates 40th Year With Campus Events

This year's festival includes a free concert by the U.S. Air Force Band's Airmen of Note at the NVRC, student performers and a gospel jazz service at Hendricks Chapel.
June 3, 2026

The University is again a proud sponsor of the , a four-day celebration of world-class jazz music and community spirit, taking place July 9-12 at Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in LaFayette, New York, and on the ÐÔÊÓ½ç University campus.

As it marks its 40th anniversary, the ÐÔÊÓ½ç International Jazz Fest enters an exciting new era, expanding its footprint while staying true to its roots. This year’s lineup includes such internationally acclaimed artists as Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Tower of Power, Gunhild Carling, Hejira, Dumpstaphunk, and Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas, along with the University’s own student jazz ensemble, Orange Juice.

The grand finale of the ÐÔÊÓ½ç International Jazz Fest, Return to Community: A Sunday Gospel Jazz Service, will be held Sunday, July 12, at , featuring a special performance by the Winston-Salem State University Concert Choir and local ensembles.

Opening Night: Celebrating the Nation’s 250th Anniversary With the Airmen of Note

ÐÔÊÓ½ç University and the ÐÔÊÓ½ç International Jazz Fest are proud to co-present a special opening night on Thursday, July 9, at the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building (NVRC), 101 Waverly Ave., ÐÔÊÓ½ç. The United States Air Force Band’s Airmen of Note will take the stage at 6 p.m.

Presented in association with the University’s , the evening will feature an exclusive Upstate New York regional performance by the world-renowned USAF Airmen of Note, an 18-piece jazz ensemble, musically celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Admission is free with priority given to ÐÔÊÓ½ç-area veterans; . Free parking is available in the University Avenue Garage, located at 1101 East Adams St.

Student Ensemble Performance: Orange Juice

Among the festival’s featured performers is the jazz combo, a standout student ensemble of instrumental and vocal performers from the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ . They will perform at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 10, in the tasting room at Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in LaFayette.

The ensemble performs regularly in concerts on campus and at community events throughout the year. This will be the ensemble’s fourth appearance at the ÐÔÊÓ½ç International Jazz Fest under the musical direction of , director of jazz and commercial music in the Setnor School.

Eight members of the Orange Juice student jazz ensemble pose in a small room with armchairs and a coffee table, some holding instruments including saxophones, a guitar and drumsticks, with an abstract painting on the wall behind them.
Orange Juice (Photo courtesy of ÐÔÊÓ½ç International Jazz Fest)

Fusing Gospel and Jazz

Wrapping up the festival, Hendricks Chapel’s will offer a unique blend of spiritual inspiration and musical artistry. The event will begin at 3 p.m., with a pre-event outdoor community luncheon preceding the service. Both are free.

Hendricks Chapel invites the community to this uplifting experience that fuses and celebrates gospel and jazz music, highlighted by special guests the Winston-Salem State University Concert Choir, the ÐÔÊÓ½ç Community Choir, composed of ÐÔÊÓ½ç-area residents, and the Black Celestial Choral Ensemble.

All ÐÔÊÓ½ç International Jazz Fest events are free and open to the public.

For the full schedule and artist lineup, visit .

A group of people stands on a stage in front of red curtains and white columns. They are dressed in black clothing, some with colorful designs or text, and are part of a community choir. A microphone stand is positioned at the center. Some individuals are clapping, while others hold water bottles or have their hands at their sides.
Performers at the 2025 Return to Community: A Sunday Gospel Jazz Service at Hendricks Chapel (Photo by ana gil)