About the Festival
Opened in 1963, Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) is the first and largest community college in Ohio. Tri-C is a leader in public education, academic innovation, cultural enrichment, and preparing students for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland has achieved its reputation as an international educational and cultural festival by providing local and international artists the opportunity to showcase their creative work and by highlighting the enduring elements and important directions in this distinctly American music. It is the largest music festival in Ohio, and the largest educational jazz festival in the country. The inclusion of students and teachers ensures the future of the art form in Northeast Ohio, and free outreach programming provides cultural access to Cleveland's undeserved population.
Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland features jazz performances, clinics master classes, lectures, broadcasts, and a breadth of other concert and community outreach activities. Local and national artists teach, compose, arrange, and perform. Concerts take place at Severance hall, Playhouse Square, the Metropolitan and Eastern Campuses of Cuyahoga Community College. Traditional community outreach locations include Karamu House, the East Cleveland Public Library, the Cleveland Public Libraries, the Children's museum, MOCA Cleveland, jazz clubs and neighborhood and community centers. Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland presents concerts and educational activities throughout the year, with concentrated activities and performances in April, July and November.