TICKETS AND VENUES
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre Series
Headliner shows are held in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
(60 Gibbs Street). These are ticketed shows; a Club Pass doesn’t work here. Tickets, which range from $34 to $161 (plus service charges), are available through the Jazz Festival website (rochesterjazz.com) or by calling 585-454-2060.
CORRECTION: [ UPDATED 6/23/19 ]The schedule grid in CITY's Jazz Festival Guide incorrectly listed Jeff Goldblum as the headliner at Kodak Hall on Friday, June 28. In fact, Steve Miller Band is still the headliner on June 28, while Jeff Goldblum and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra will be headlining at Kodak Hall on Wednesday, June 26 (as previously indicated in the grid). Tickets for both concerts are available at the CGI RIJF box office and online atrochesterjazz.com.
[ UPDATED 6/24/19 ] The free concerts at the Rochester Regional Health Big Tent are scheduled for 6 p.m. daily, and not 4:30 p.m. as previously listed in the schedule grid.
CLUB PASS SERIES
A Club Pass is your ticket to the Club Series: you can go to as many concerts as you’d like at 12 smaller clubs and venues (listed below). The Jazz Festival has two Club Pass options: a three-day pass, which allows access to concerts on any three days of your choice during the festival, and the traditional nine-day pass. And new this year, the festival created “shareable” and “personal” three-day and nine-day passes for various prices. The “personal” passes are sold out (but hey, that means if you now buy a Club Pass, you can share it).
Three-day passes are $194, plus service charges. The full nine-day Club Pass costs $254, plus service charges, and almost always sells out in advance of the festival. If you don’t have one, you can still buy tickets ($30-$35) to the individual Club Pass concerts at the door, if space is available. Cash only. Be advised that Club Pass shows tend to sell out on a first-come, first-served basis; even if you have a Pass, you should get there early.
The Jazz Festival is again using a wristband system at Kilbourn Hall and Max of Eastman Place. Starting two hours before Kilbourn Hall’s 6 p.m. show and Max of Eastman Place’s 6:15 p.m. performance, Club Pass holders and those paying in cash at the door can line up for color-coded wristbands that will specify return times for their show. Patrons can then leave, wander the festival, and come back at their designated time to enter the venue. You must be present in line to receive a wristband. And seating is still first-come, first-served.
CLUB PASS VENUES
Christ Church Made in the UK Series (141 East Avenue)
Geva Theatre Center – Fielding Stage (75 Woodbury Boulevard)
Geva Theatre Center – Wilson Stage (75 Woodbury Boulevard)
Hatch Recital Hall at Eastman School of Music (433 East Main Street)
Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music (26 Gibbs Street)
Lutheran Church of the Reformation Nordic & Euro Jazz Now Series (111 North Chestnut Street)
Max of Eastman Place (25 Gibbs Street)
The Montage Music Hall (50 Chestnut Street)
M&T Pavilion - Squeezers Stage (Parcel 5 on East Main Street, between Cortland Street and Andrew Langston Way)
Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (corner of East Main and Gibbs streets)
Temple Building Theater (50 Liberty Pole Way)
The Wilder Room (120 East Avenue)
FREE VENUES
Avangrid Foundation / RG&E / Barclay Damon Fusion Stage (corner of East Avenue & Chestnut Street)
Free shows June 24-28
Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County
(115 South Avenue)
Free shows June 24-28
City of Rochester East Avenue & Chestnut Street Stage
Free shows June 21-22
City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage (Gibbs Street at East Avenue)
Free music daily
City of Rochester Midtown Stage (Parcel 5 on East Main Street, between Cortland Street and Andrew Langston Way)
Free show June 28-29
Eastman School of Music – Ray Wright Room (26 Gibbs Street)
Free workshops June 24-28
M&T Pavilion - Squeezers Stage Parcel 5 on East Main Street, between Cortland Street and Andrew Langston Way
Free shows daily at 4:30 p.m.
Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (corner of Main Street and Gibbs)
Free shows daily at 6 p.m.
The Street Craft Kitchen & Bar at the Hyatt (125 East Main Street) Free jam sessions every night, hosted by Karl Stabnau and Bob Sneider. All jam sessions start at 10:30 p.m.
PARKING
Parking for all East End venues can be found in the East End parking garage at the corner of Scio Street and East Avenue. Additional parking can be found in the Washington Square Garage (111 Woodbury Boulevard) and the NYSUT lot (30 North Union Street). Daily parking at the East End and Washington Square Garages costs $7 per car; the NYSUT lot is free. Also be on the lookout for street parking or spots in surface lots throughout the neighborhood.
You can also find parking at the Sister Cities Garage (28 North Fitzhugh Street), Midtown Garage (270 East Broad Street, entrance on Clinton Avenue or Broad Street), and the South Avenue Garage (39 Stone Street). Those garages are $2 per hour, up to $10 max. For further details and specific street closings, visit WRIJF’s website (rochesterjazz.com).
ADDITIONAL INFO
The CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival’s official website is rochesterjazz.com. You can also visit the Jazz Ticket Shop and Info Center on the corner of East Avenue and Gibbs Street, open daily during the festival, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Jazz Fest also has a mobile app for both Apple and Android phones. It includes a full schedule, venue and artist lists, maps, and an option to buy tickets online. Find the download button on the Jazz Fest website’s homepage or through the app store.
For additional Jazz Fest info, check out rochestercitynewspaper.com to get the online version of this guide, plus our daily Jazz Blog. CITY’s critics will offer up their reviews of the previous night’s concerts, and you can post your own thoughts in the comments section. We’ll also be posting photos, videos, and more. New blogs will be up by 8 a.m. each morning of the festival. We’ll also post updates on our Facebook page (facebook.com/CityNewspaper) and on Twitter and Instagram (@roccitynews).