The novel coronavirus pandemic has claimed another summer 2020 festival – this time, it’s the 44th annual Telluride Jazz Festival, which was scheduled for Aug. 7-9.
The festival will be held Aug. 13-15, 2021. Most of the artists scheduled to perform have committed to the new dates, leaving a similar lineup in place for 2021, organizers said in a news release Tuesday.
At this time, the release said, artists who have committed to next summer’s festival include: Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Budos Band, The Hot Sardines, Poncho Sanchez, Catherine Russell, Christian Sands, Kelly Finnigan and the Atonements and local groups and student ensembles. More artists are expected to be added.
“Our festival has persevered every year since 1977, through torrential rains, summer snowstorms, airline strikes, recessions and other challenges, but this year the only way to meet the challenge of keeping you – our valued audience members, our staff and the many performers who perform on our stage – safe is to wait until next year,” Peter Bell, executive director of the Telluride Society For Jazz, said. “We are now working through the process of ‘unwinding’ the enormous work that has gone into bringing along this summer’s festival and adapting our organizational model to continue supporting our educational programs without the resources generated by the festival this year.”
According to the release, there are a few options for those who have tickets to this summer’s postponed festival: You can roll over your tickets to next year’s festival; obtain a full refund, partial refund and partial donation to the Telluride Society for Jazz; or give a full donation to the Telluride Society for Jazz. All amounts donated to the Telluride Society for Jazz are considered tax-deductible as a charitable contribution on personal income taxes. Donors and ticket-holders who roll over tickets to the 2021 festival will receive special perks, including early access to purchase 2021 tickets and more.
For more information about the ticket options, visit TellurideJazz.org/covid-19-postponement.
katie@durangoherald.com
