Letter from the Chief Executive Officer

A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

Dear SFJAZZ Community:

We are thrilled to welcome you back to the SFJAZZ Center for our 2021-22 season. After 18 months with almost no live concerts, we look forward to sharing incredible performances with you once again.

I arrived as CEO in June 2020, and for the past year and a half, my focus has been on making sure we are ready for your safe return. You’ll find yourself in a safer facility, with a significant HVAC upgrade, providing improved air quality, as well as other hygiene and safety features throughout the Center. We are committed to minimizing risk for our patrons, artists, staff, and volunteers who are visiting or working.

During this time, we have found new ways to engage our members and support our artists. During the Center's closure, we continued to extend resources, know-how and creativity to the communities we engage with the launch of the SFJAZZ Digital platform; the quick pivot to virtual education programs, and significant artist support from our members.

As we look ahead, we remember how much we depend on the arts to connect and heal. SFJAZZ is committed to our mission of exploring the full spectrum of jazz and continuing to develop new jazz audiences, now across the globe.

All of this is possible because of our supporters who donated to our Call & Response Campaign (the Center’s lifeline during the closure) and who helped support SFJAZZ and the artists through the 50/50 Fund. As we emerge from our stages being dark for 18 months, we still need your help.

We are thrilled to gather our community together again. We are grateful for the joy that live performance brings and we embrace our role in providing that to the broader Bay Area and beyond.

Once again, we thank you, our supporters, whose loyalty and generosity have allowed SFJAZZ to emerge from this period, a stronger, more focused and intentional organization.

Sincerely,

Greg Stern • SFJAZZ Chief Executive Officer