Marsden Jazz Festival launches urgent £12k appeal
Dani Sicari and The Easy Rollers
Reporter : Judith Grinter
One of the region’s best-loved music festivals has launched an urgent funding campaign. Marsden Jazz Festival needs to raise an extra £12,000 by 15 July to help protect its annual event.
The festival made a significant loss in 2017 due to a fall in income from sponsorship, donations and grants and has so far been unable to find a major business sponsor for this year’s event, which will take place from 12-14 October. Charityreserves have managed to cover last year’s losses but the festival will be unable to continue on this basis.
To this end, the festival is expanding its Adopt a Gig scheme and asking gig-goers who are able to make a donation of £50 or more. The organisers are also appealing to local businesses to consider sponsoring one of the headline gigs for £250, or one of the stages from £1,000.
Marsden Jazz Fesitval 2016 –
Marsden Jazz Festival takes place in more than 25 venues in the village of Marsden, most of which are full to capacity. Last year’s festival saw more than 150 hours of live music, 21 headliner gigs, more than 70 free gigs across 24 venues in three days as well as the beloved Saturday street parade. The festival also staged six ticketed events in Marsden Parochial Hall for the first time.
Among highlights of last year year’s weekend included a gig by Mercury Prize 2017 nominee Dinosaur, a world premiere from Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year Arun Ghosh and a performance by three world-renowned trombone players – including two-time Grammy award winner Michael Dease.
This year’s event will premiere a new piece by Shepley-born composer and percussionist Jonny Mansfield, based on the work of poet Simon Armitage.
Festival director Barney Stevenson says, “We could never make the festival a success without our loyal supporters. But we still really need help to support the cost of presenting our unrivalled programme of free gigs and outdoor events and to keep prices affordable to all and to make jazz music accessible to as many people as possible.”
To find out more please visit marsdenjazzfestival.com/adopt-a-gig or contact the festival direct on office@marsdenjazzfestival.com or 0800 6125 649 to enquire about other fundraising opportunities.
Author: Jude Gidney - Editor
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