Today's guest post is written by Serra Sevenler, Class of 2015.
For me, the highlight of a summer in Rochester is the Rochester International Jazz Festival. This world-renowned nine-day festival dedicated to all genres of creative improvised music never fails to disappoint. There are over 1,200 musicians from all over the world and more than 300 concerts, including 81 free shows. Among these shows, there were seven headliner concerts held at Kodak Hall in the Eastman School of Music. One of the headliners was the well known David Byrne and St. Vincent. Going to the concert, I was overcome with pride for the University of Rochester as people from all over the world come to perform in our own music hall.
Another awesome band that I was privileged enough to catch was the stunning guitar duet, Loren and Mark, from Syracuse, NY and New Zealand. They had incredible musical chemistry, along with an obvious enjoyment of sharing their music with the audience.
Other than the limitless jazz music, this festival is great for people who enjoy street performers, food, and people-watching. With over 187,000 people who come out to enjoy the festivities, you can be sure to meet all sorts of interesting people.
The theme of improvisation continued, as I was lucky enough to catch a group of street dance performers on East Ave. The spontaneous dance group of five young men, accompanied with nothing but a boom box, gathered quite the crowd.
This festival has something for everyone! Jazz is just one awesome part of it. Want to learn more about the Rochester International Jazz festival? Visit rochesterjazz.com for more details.