About

Celebrating the
soul of jazz.

Jazz in the Berkshires is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2022 with a mission to foster a vibrant jazz community in the Berkshires through performance, education, and collaboration — year-round.

The Williamstown Jazz Festival is our flagship annual event and the foundation of a longer-term vision: to make the Berkshires a national hub for jazz performance and education.

Year-round programming under the JitB banner. The festival itself, every September.

Mission

Three commitments.

Our work is built on three commitments — to artistic excellence, to the next generation, and to the region we call home.

01

Performance

Presenting world-class jazz artists alongside Berkshire-based musicians, in venues that honor the music and welcome the audience.

02

Education

Supporting student ensembles, regional youth and college programs, and educational programming that opens jazz to new audiences and players.

03

Preservation

Restoring the Berkshires' historic role as a destination for jazz, while building an institution rooted in artistic excellence and cultural equity.

Daphne Bolden, Ph.D., Executive Director of Jazz in the Berkshires
From the Executive Director

Daphne Bolden, Ph.D.

"Something special is taking shape in the Berkshires."

Jazz in the Berkshires exists because this region helped invent modern jazz — and because, after decades of cultural drift, the Berkshires is ready to reclaim that legacy. Our mission isn't only to present world-class performance; it's to build something durable: an institution rooted in artistic excellence, cultural equity, and regional revitalization.

The inaugural Williamstown Jazz Festival is the first chapter. If you're reading this, you're part of the next one — as an audience member, supporter, sponsor, or collaborator. Thank you for being here.

Executive Director · Founder