Organizers of this year’s Northeast Jazz and Wine Festival in downtown Syracuse are making what they call a “bold move” and bringing the main stage indoors. CNY Jazz executive director Larry Luttinger says the Landmark Theatre provides a better audience experience with its three thousand indoor seats and long lobby bar where the wine will be served. He says taking the stage will be soul music legends The Family Stone, vocalist Shayna Steele, smooth jazz guitarist Blake Aaron, and others.
“To my knowledge, is the first time that this type of indoor-outdoor model has been employed," Luttinger said. "What we're doing here is we're gaining a lot of things. We're getting climate resiliency, we're gleaning gaining public safety because there will be security on the doors of the landmark and we're retaining a festival fair atmosphere.”
Outdoors, the CNY Jazz Youth Orchestra will take the stage on Jefferson Street near the theater, where there will also be food trucks and vendors. The concerts continue to coincide with the CNY Arts and Crafts Festival in Columbus Circle, which is now only two blocks away instead of five. CNY Arts deputy executive Alex Korman says this will mark the first year of the new downtown Art Trail, connecting multiple destinations.
“The trail is designed to offer a fun, creative, walkable itinerary for folks in our community to enjoy all of the really exciting arts and entertainment venues and events that are going on here in Syracuse.”
More information on the art trail, including an interactive map, will be posted in the coming days on the CNY Arts website. The Northeast Jazz and Wine festival takes place July 26 and 27. More information can be found here.
CNY Jazz is a financial supporter of WAER.
