About the Festival

See Artists through the Years - 2002 - 2022 - PDF

The CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival (RIJF) is one of the world’s leading jazz festivals presenting legendary performers, familiar favorites, rising stars, and new discoveries from around the world. 

RIJF is synonymous with Jazz in June when the joy of music brings the world to Rochester, New York. The multi-dimensional nine-day festival presents more than 1750 artists annually from around the world in 300+ shows at 19 venues. 

Founded in 2002, the festival is produced by RIJF, LLC, a privately held company owned by Marc Iacona, Producer and Executive Director and John Nugent, Producer and Artistic Director. Attendance has grown from 15,000 in 2002 to 210,000 in 2022.

The economic impact delivered to the region over the past 19 years now approaches $200 million. 

RIJF navigates all genres of creative improvised music, bringing together unique musical sounds from many countries and highlighting international artists' take on the only truly American art form - jazz. The festival's European-style format, where people can park once and walk to and from all venues, is presented in three series plus special programs, including the RJF/ESM Jazz Scholarship Program, Jam Sessions, and Jazz Workshops: 

• Headliner Series, presents ticketed shows at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre as well free shows on two outdoor stages, Wegmans Stage at PArcel 5 and City of Rochester Stage at Chestnut & East Ave
• Club Pass Series of 192 shows at 11 Club Pass venues, accessible with the festival's unique Club Pass, a value pass to discovery, or single entry cash only at the door. The popular Club Pass provides access to all club venues to sample a wide spectrum of music. It's no wonder the festival motto is "It's not just who you know; it's who you don't know."
• Free Show Series - In addition to free headliner shows on outdoor stages, more than 100 additional free shows are held at multiple venues and outdoor stages. No tickets are required. 
• Jazz Workshops - Since 2013, Jazz Workshops led by visiting musicians have been offered over five days for music students of all ages, held during the Festival. Sponsored by Wegmans. 
• Jam Sessions - Held nightly at the Hyatt Regency Rochester from 10:30 until... where there's no telling who will drop in to play. It's said that jazz never sleeps and this event proves it as the music goes on deep into the night  – often with unsung musicians who electrify the room. No cover charge. Food and beverages are available. Led by Bob Sneider and Karl Stabnau. The Squeezer Jam Sessions are sponsored by the DiMarco Group. 
• Jazz Scholarship Program - The festival established the first jazz music scholarship at the renowned Eastman School of Music, awarding $500,000 for 42 scholarships since 2002 to attend the prestigious school. Each year a free scholarship concert is held during the festival featuring scholarship winners.  

About the Producers

Marc Iacona - Executive Director & Producer

Marc Iacona is a music festival producer and entrepreneur. A lifelong Rochester, New York native, he is CEO & President of Simcona Electronics Corporation, and CEO of Quadristi, LLC and Spectrum Custom Wire & Cable Manufacturing, LLC.

As an established patron of the arts and the community, Marc is dedicated to philanthropy and helping to build upon Rochester’s creative arts scene and strengthen its economy. Marc currently serves on the Eastman School of Music’s Dean’s Advisory Board and M&T Bank’s Advisory Board. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and participates in the Community Education Division Jazz Studies program at the Eastman School of Music and is proud to have Family Scholarship Foundations at St. John Fisher College, Nazareth College, and Eastman School.

Marc’s mission in life is to create a positive impact in everything that he does. In addition to producing the jazz festival, he invests in start-up companies that will elevate the presence of Rochester and create a positive economic impact.

John Nugent - Artistic Director & Producer

John Nugent is a musician and producer who has contracted and tour managed more than 1100 festival performances by 40 special projects/tours for established American artists including The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Woody Herman Orchestra, Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Legends Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and many others. Over the past 22 years, John has been artistic director and co-producer of 46 major jazz festivals in the United States and Scandinavia.

Nugent graduated from St. Francis Xavier University with a diploma in Jazz Studies, attended the Banff School of Fine Arts, and then embarked on a four-year stint in jazz studies at North Texas State University. He has performed with a plethora of well-known musicians and entertainers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Buddy DeFranco, Clark Terry, Mel Lewis, Jim Hall, Bob Hope, the Temptations, the Four Tops, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Born in Newfoundland, Canada, John became a naturalized American citizen in 2003, making Rochester his home a year after establishing the Rochester International Jazz Festival.

RIJF suffered a two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite our attempt to do everything possible to deliver a festival in 2020 and 2021 the 19th Edition was repeatedly rescheduled from its original dates of June 19-27, 2020, to Oct 2-10, 2020, and then to June 18-26, 2021, and then to July 30-Aug 7 and finally to June 17-25, 2022. 

Updated April 2023