What to Know
- July 5-17
- Concerts, classes, workshops, more
- Free
The scent of fir trees can summon the spirit of the holidays for many people, or a past camping trip, or a favorite candle.
But for many Southern Californians, it is festive fragrance that's forever tied to good grooves, smooth sounds, and one of our state's most venerable music festivals.
It's Jazz in the Pines that comes to mind for plenty of festival fans, that weekend-long celebration that's one of the cultural hearts of Idyllwild.
The party isn't happening at the mountain-high destination in 2020, due to pandemic precautions, but organizers have decided to take it online, and to make the whole tunefest free.
That isn't the only twist that longtime attendees of the Idyllwild Arts Academy event will find this summer; the jazzy to-do is actually going to play on, over several days, skipping the weekend-only vibe and going for a full 15 days of fine, sax-sweet, percussion-perfect performances.
Those performances will be both "live and recorded" during the July 5-17 spectacular, and there'll be workshops, too, to join.
"The festival will be free and open to all, catering to everyone from seasoned Jazz fans to those new to the scene, with a range of established and up-and-coming jazz, blues and R&B performers," is the word from the Mt. San Jacinto-based hub of arts, music, and culture.
Jazz vocalist Rose Colella is curating the 2020 festival, which will pop up on Zoom or the Jazz in the Pines website, with specific times posted ahead of time.
And while the festival is free, donations are always welcome. "Donations directly support Idyllwild Arts to engage professional artists and educators, offer unique educational programs for global citizen artists, and provide scholarships for talented, young artists to attend Idyllwild Arts’ world-class Boarding Arts High School and Summer Program."
The music flows on, even from afar, in a come-together, enjoy-and-be-uplifted fashion. Find out what concerts are coming up, the classes and panels, too, on the Jazz in the Pines HQ.
