ELMIRA, NEW YORK (WETM-TV)- EOP’s Ferrario Elmira Jazz Festival is the Elmira-Corning area’s premier regional summer jazz festival. 18 News had the opportunity to sit down with Don Ferrario to hear exactly what the 2020 event has in store.
This year’s festival will be held virtually with all donations raised via Go Fund Me prior to the event.
On the day of the FREE virtual event, all donations will go towards the purchase of a van to support
youth and families participating in afterschool programs
Performers at this years Ferrario Elmira Jazz Festival include:
• Paul Brown- Paul Brown’s four-decade journey through the worlds of pop, R&B, and jazz is
the modern-day musical equivalent of a “Renaissance Man.” A two-time Grammy-winning urban jazz producer with over 60 #1 radio airplay hits, a drummer, guitarist, artist, and performer, Brown has released six albums, including three that hit the Top Ten on the Billboard Albums chart, scored countless hit singles, and has done thousands of performances across the US and internationally. His latest album is One Way Back.
• Adam Hawley- Guitarist Adam Hawley was named both Smooth Jazz News and JazzTrax Debut Artist of the Year in 2016 and he has six #1 hits. Hawley’s first two albums stormed up the charts in unprecedented fashion setting the stage for his third release, Escape. Hawley holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California and currently teaches at Musician’s Institute, Chaffey College, and Saddleback College.
• Ragan Whiteside- Soul Jazz flautist, vocalist, and songwriter Ragan Whiteside’s latest Billboard Top 15 single is “Reminiscing,” her fifth consecutive Billboard Top 15 hit. Whiteside is the first female flautist to hold the #1 spot on three major smooth jazz charts simultaneously. Her fifth album, Five Up Top, is due to be released in October.
• Marcus Johnson- Keyboardist and Festival staple, Marcus Johnson has released more than fifteen
Billboard charted CDs and has the distinction of having his groundbreaking 2008 Billboard Top 20 Contemporary Jazz FLO (For the Love Of) Anthology, which consisted of three distinct CDs — FLO Chill, FLO Romance, and FLO Standards – all charting Top 10 on Billboard Contemporary Jazz Charts simultaneously. Ballads: In My Voice is his latest album.
• Top Shelf- Local favorite band, Top Shelf, plays everything from the jazz genre as well as 70s pop to current pop and funk. The band originated in 1983 and has been a Festival staple since 2012.
The FREE online event will feature performances by the above-mentioned artists, special guest
appearances, Jazz Festival flashbacks, and special prize drawings for donors.
The CFJP Bistro, located at 350 E. Fifth Street, Elmira, who usually provides the food for the event, will open for the day for take-out orders.
Ferrario Auto Team serves the area with Dealership locations in Towanda, Sayre, and Elmira since 1969. Don and Robin Ferrario provide financial and marketing management assistance to EOP Inc,
through EOP’s Ferrario Elmira Jazz Festival.
For over fifty-five years, EOP Inc. has been a community leader in building collaborative partnerships to provide individuals and families with the tools to overcome barriers and lead healthy, stable, and economically self-sufficient lives.
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