ColaJazz Fest coming to Midlands May 1-2

COLUMBIA – The 2021 ColaJazz Fest will be coming to the Midlands Saturday, May 1-2, at the Koger Center for the Arts. A #supportlocal themed night will showcase Columbia’s best in jazz with artists who have struggled through the pandemic. Four diverse bands will take to the stage at The Senate on Saturday, May 1. Artists include bassist Rodney Foster, Jr., guitarist Amos Hoffman, saxophone phenom Ben Eidson, Clyde Frazier’s Partly Cloudy Brass Band, and vocal sensation Brittany Turnipseed.

“Our mission at ColaJazz is to support and grow our local jazz scene," said ColaJazz Foundation, Executive Director Mark Rapp. "Having endured over a year of performance opportunities being cancelled, our local artists deserve nothing less than to be celebrated, uplifted and financially supported. The Saturday concerts at The Senate will be an exciting display of our city’s diverse and awesome jazz talents.”

The Koger Center for the Arts, in conjunction with the ColaJazz Foundation and the University of South Carolina School of Music, is also proud to announce that the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Septet with Wynton Marsalis will perform live at the Koger Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 2.

Led by internationally acclaimed trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Septet is comprised of seven of the world’s finest soloists, ensemble players, and arrangers in jazz music today. The distinguished Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is lauded worldwide as the globe’s preeminent jazz ensemble. The evening will present newly composed works and arrangements by Marsalis and featured JLCO members with a focused theme of freedom and democracy.

Saturday’s tickets are $25 and are on sale now at The Senate box office, by phone at 803-252-9392 or online at thesenatecolumbia.com. Sunday ticket prices range from $38 - $88 and are on sale now Koger Center box offices, by phone at 803-251-2222 or online at KogerCenterForTheArts.com.

“The ColaJazz Foundation has loved working with the Koger Center and UofSC the past couple of years to consistently present world-class jazz," Rapp said. "Bringing to Columbia the world’s greatest and most highly acclaimed jazz artist, Wynton Marsalis, is testament to our successful partnership and the support of our community of jazz fans. Supporting local artists to enriching our city with world-famous jazz artists this May 1st and 2nd festival weekend, exemplifies our collective belief in and the love of our city and our people.”

For more information please visit our websites KogerCenterForTheArts.com or ColaJazz.com