For Immediate Release March 23, 2017
The Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival announced details today about the 15th annual Festival taking place this year from June 1st to June 4th in downtown Orangeville.
Gary Brown, President of the Festival Board of Directors, and Larry Kurtz, Festival Founder and Artistic Director, welcomed an enthusiastic crowd of Festival insiders and supporters at the annual Festival Launch Event at Mill Creek Pub in Orangeville.
Festival President Gary Brown said, “On behalf of the Festival and our thousands of attendees and hundreds of volunteers, we are deeply grateful for the funding and services that are generously provided to support the Festival. This Festival has become a signature event for
Orangeville and the surrounding region and we would like to thank all our partners, sponsors and funders for their tremendous support. We would like to acknowledge the generous financial support from Heritage Canada which helps to showcase our outstanding local performers which has become such an important part of the Festival’s programming. We would also like thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the County of Dufferin and the Town of Orangeville for their important financial and operational support.
We were very pleased to be recognized recently as one of the Top 100 festivals and events in Ontario for 2017 by Festivals & Events Ontario. This is our sixth year to receive this award and it is great honor for our Festival to be recognized among some of the very best festivals and events in Ontario!”
Mr. Brown also noted this year’s Festival will be adding some new enhancements to further compliment a positive visitor experience. The Festival will feature a larger main stage with improved sound and stage lighting along with designating the entire main stage audience area
as a licensed area. These enhancements will create better sightlines of the stage and improved sound for all patrons. As part of supporting the ongoing advancement of the Festival, there will a $5 per person daily admission fee to the Royal LePage Main Stage and Opera House
performances. Children 12 and under will be free. Admission to other Festival events, such as the TD Local Stars Tent, the Friday Night Blues Cruise, the Saturday Blues & Bikes, pop-up bands on Broadway for Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, the Library workshops and the
Memorial Jazz March will all continue to offer free admission. The introduction of a modest admission fee to the Mainstage and Opera House events only will help to ensure the Festival has the funding in place to continue offering a community event of the highest standards.
To this end, the Festival extends a special thank-you to Central Counties Tourism who has generously partnered with the Festival this year by providing funding to support many of the new operational and marketing initiatives as part of building the organizational capacity of the
Festival going forward. “As one of Ontario’s 13 Regional Tourism Organizations, Central Counties Tourism works to support and elevate the very best that York, Durham and Headwaters has to offer”, said Chuck Thibeault, Executive Director of Central Counties Tourism.
“The Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival is one of Headwaters’ and Central Counties’ premier events, drawing tens of thousands of visitors each year. They continually evolve and grow to stay relevant and attract new audiences. Central Counties is proud to partner with them on the 2017 Festival.”
The Treasurer of the Orangeville Business Improvement Association, Joe Sammut said “I am pleased to announce on behalf of the members of the Orangeville Business Improvement Association that we will be providing $35,000 in funding to the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival for this year’s event. As one of the Festival’s largest contributors over the last ten years, Downtown Orangeville’s businesses and merchants welcome the economic activity this important Festival brings to our local business community. Our members consider this event to be the number one attraction for visitors in the area.”
In announcing this year’s outstanding line-up of performers, Festival Founder and Artistic Director, Larry Kurtz, stated “We are excited to announce the Festival will take place from June 1st to June 4th in downtown Orangeville and will feature over 9O ACTS performing on 3 STAGES and in local pubs and restaurants with pop-up bands featured on Broadway and Mill Street over the course of four days.”
The Festival will kick-off on Thursday June 1st with a feature performance of the Ben Racine Band at our opening event sponsored by Meridian and taking place at the Best Western PLUS Inn & Suites.
The ever-popular Blues Cruise on Broadway sponsored by Dairy Queen, Ideal Supply, MacMaster Buick GMC and Orangeville Chrysler returns on Friday June 2nd starting at 5PM and will feature 10 bands performing including Paul James and Danny Marks with 300 classic cars all taking place on Broadway!
Following the Blues Cruise, the Royal LePage Main Stage on Friday night will feature Larry Kurtz and the Lawbreakers taking the stage at 8PM followed by the award-winning Dawn Tyler Watson Band from Montreal.
On Saturday, performances on the Royal LePage Main Stage will start at noon beginning with one of Orangeville’s most popular bands, Soul Collective followed by Harp Attack! featuring Lee Oskar, David Rotundo, Michael Pickett and Larry Kurtz. Spencer Mackenzie will take the stage followed by Turbo Street Funk who will lead the Dods & McNair Memorial Jazz March from the Main Stage with everyone invited to participate in the march along Broadway and then returning to the Stage area. Braithwaite & Whiteley, the Juno-nominated Paul Reddick Band, and from Chicago our headliners Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials will round out the evening schedule. Also, taking place on Saturday afternoon will be the Blues & Bikes event on Mill Street sponsored by Barrie Harley Davidson. Saturday afternoon will feature Free Music Workshops including Harmonica with Lee Oskar, Rhythm Section with Vince Maccarone and Ukelele with Manitoba Hal in the Orangeville Public Library.
The Royal LePage Main Stage performers on Sunday will include Chris Antonik, the Gabriel Palatchi Trio, Coco Love Alcorn with a special Festival closing performance of The LAST WALTZ – A Musical Celebration of THE BAND – Live.
The Opera House Series sponsored by Mortgage Architects and Orangeville Insurance Services, takes place inside the beautifully renovated Orangeville Opera House featuring jazz and acoustic blues performances on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. This soft seat intimate venue with amazing sound acoustics is the perfect venue to enjoy performances by Stan Chang & Eric Bruck, Carol McCartney, Juno-nominated Sean Pinchin and Los Variants during the day on Saturday followed by Manitoba Hal, Michael Pickett and from New York, Guy Davis performing on Sunday afternoon. The lobby will feature an exhibit of Blues & Jazz themed artwork and photography.
The TD Tent Local Stars stage on Saturday and Sunday will showcase the ODSS Jazz Band, Flashback, Orangeville Music Theatre, Southern Fryde Inc., Itchy & Scratchy, Andi Trepanier, Orangeville Chorus, the Travelling Wannabees, the Fire Cats, the Jazz Society Band and the Heather Katz Band.
There are many other Bands and Performers taking part in the Festival as part of the “pop-up” performances taking place on Broadway which will be closed on Friday night and all day Saturday to create a unique festival vibe with a pedestrian friendly setting.
For more information about this year’s Festival, please visit:
orangevillebluesandjazz.ca
For Festival Interviews contact:
Larry Kurtz – Festival Founder & Artistic Director, larryk@look.ca or (519) 217-7875
Gary Brown – President, Festival Board of Directors, (519) 925-5422
