The Litchfield Jazz Festival returns for year 29

Now celebrating its 29th year, The Litchfield Jazz Festival will take place July 26-28 at the Tisch Auditorium and the Bourne Courtyard at the Frederick Gunn School in Washington, Connecticut.

Presented by Litchfield Performing Arts, the festival began as a classical series supplemented with dance and theater and jazz. Executive Director Vita West Muir spent time consulting with jazz gurus like DJ Ken Woods from WPBX Long Island, going to concerts, visiting other festivals in New York and New Orleans, and gathering advice from friends.

As a popular summer destination, Litchfield County sees many visitors eager for entertainment. The summer crowd helped seed the festival’s audience. Early performances featured Marian McPartland and Tony Bennett and were a hit.

One of this year’s more exciting acts includes The Matsiko World Orphan Choir, whose mission is “to transform the lives of our world’s most vulnerable children through a complete education.” The choir is composed of sponsored children from Liberia, Peru, India, and Nepal.

“They came to us through the Amina Figarova Sextet. Amina’s husband and bandmate Bart Platteau sold me the idea. I have served disadvantaged kids since I started Litchfield Performing Arts 43 years ago. Like Matsiko, we raise the funds to help kids. Bart and I connected immediately around shared goals. I have been writing promo stuff for them and this concert in the hope of a large and generous audience who will find it in their hearts to support Matsiko,” Muir explained.

Generally, Muir books all types of jazz with the exception of free jazz. “I love straight ahead, excellent vocals, and all types of Latin,” Muir stated.

The camp is an equally important component of the festivals with students from age 13 and up

“This year we have among our handful of older students an 83-year-old classical clarinet player, a retired doctor I met on a jazz cruise who longs to learn to play jazz. The fest attracts mostly 40 - 60+ plus students of course who are younger,“ Muir noted.

Like many festivals, Covid affected programming, which Muir adapted to by doing live streaming of shows throughout the year. This morphed into a partnership with Mike Gow of the New England Arts and Entertainment at the Poli Club in Waterbury.

“He’s been doing a show about every three weeks for 11 years now and we joined him for 8 additional shows last year including Sunday Jazz Brushes. The show features the first of our competition for young people: The Litchfield Jazz Camp Talent Search, a 16-year-old violinist who is incredibly musical,” Muir explained.

Challenges of producing the festival include coming up with a lineup of excellent musicians who will sell tickets, paying them competitive fees, and attracting audiences to fill the house in a way that is profitable for all involved.

“We don’t count on tickets to cover costs; no one ever does. We fundraise to cover any shortfalls and offer sponsorships for shows. Two of this year’s shows have individuals underwriting them,” Muir stated.

For more information, visit www.litchfieldperformingarts.org

Latest News

Millerton Police Dept. rebuilds after fire; new cruisers on the way

The borrowed Pine Plains cruiser parked on Main Street in front of the Millerton Inn during the Millerton Street Fair on Saturday, June 28.

Photo by Aly Morrissy

MILLERTON — After receiving substantial state grant funding in July 2024 and beginning to roll out new equipment that fall, the Millerton Police Department suffered a setback when the February fire at the Village Water and Highway Department building destroyed much of its newly acquired gear — including patrol vehicles outfitted with cutting-edge technology.

Thanks to full-value insurance coverage and swift support from the Town of Pine Plains — which loaned the department a vehicle — Millerton officers were able to remain active in the community. Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik said two custom-built, four-wheel-drive Ford Interceptor cruisers are now in production and are expected to arrive by the end of the summer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Uncertainty looms over Millerton community pool timeline

Groundbreaking of the new pool planned for Eddie Collins Park has been delayed after the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation intervened to determine the status of wetlands in the proposed building site.

Archive photo

MILLERTON — The long-awaited groundbreaking for a new community pool at Eddie Collins Memorial Park — once expected this past April — now faces significant delays with no definitive timeline in sight, Mayor Jenn Najdek said.

The primary setback stems from a still-pending permitting process, as the village awaits final approvals from the Dutchess County Board of Health and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regarding septic placement and wetland buffers. A patch of wetlands on the site — roughly five feet by five feet, Najdek said — requires a protective buffer, which could range anywhere from 5 to 100 feet. That determination will dictate whether the current pool design needs to be altered or moved altogether.

Keep ReadingShow less
North East town records brought into the digital age

Chris Virtuoso reorganized parcel records in the North East Town Hall basement by parcel number during the process of scanning and digitizing the documents.

Photo by Grace DeMarco

MILLERTON — Within the walls of the two-story Victorian housing the North East Town Hall lies a room-full of town records dating back to the late 19th century. Stored in labeled cardboard boxes and protected by dehumidifiers, the records are in the process of being dated, organized, and scanned into categorized online programs.

As the Town Hall works to relocate to 5603 Route 22 at the former Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, the consolidation and digitalization of records, as well as the disposal of those unneeded, is a time-sensitive project. Marcy Wheatley, the Deputy Town Clerk, emphasized their current heavy focus on organizing and scanning. “Now, when we move, we can get rid of a lot,” Wheatley stated.

Keep ReadingShow less
Fun, food and facts bring crowds to downtown Millerton

Nora Garcia, 6, of Millerton, bottom right, gets a face painting treatment from Maddy Rowe, a Webutuck High School senior. Nora’s sister, Juliana, 8, top right, is decorated by Giana Kall, a Webutuck senior. The program was sponsored by the Webutuck PTA.

Photo by John Coston

Locals and visitors packed into downtown Millerton Saturday, June 28, for the first ever Millerton Street Fair hosted by the Millerton News, the Millerton Business Alliance and Townscape. Representatives from local nonprofits, businesses along Main Street, Bee Bee the Clown and face painters from Webutuck High School drew in crowds all afternoon.

Festivities officially opened at 10 a.m., and a steady stream of visitors soon followed. Volunteer firefighters hosted a bouncy castle, a duck pool, a “put out the fire” ring toss game, and the “touch a truck” event at the fire department’s garage.

Keep ReadingShow less