Record Breaking Attendance and Spectacular Performances at the 17th Dominican Republic Jazz Festival

Record Breaking Attendance and Spectacular Performances at the 17th Dominican Republic Jazz Festival
Cabarete, Puerto Plata 25/11/2013

The Dominican Republic Jazz Festival, sponsored by the Ministries of Tourism and Culture, along with other local sponsors, celebrated its 17th year (Oct 31-Nov 3, 2013) with internationally renowned musicians Bernie Williams, Rufus Reid, Abraham Laboriel, Johnny Ventura, Milly Quezada and more, with record breaking attendance of 10,000 people for the four nights of free concerts in the North Coast towns of Puerto Plata, Sosua and Cabarete.

The Dominican Republic Jazz Festival is a renowned, annual cultural event that brings Jazz to a diverse crowd of music lovers, comprised of local residents and tourists alike. The festival also brings music education to the region through its affiliation with FEDUJAZZ, a non-profit organization that conducts musical workshops for youth.

Presented by sponsors such as JetBlue, Sea Horse Ranch, Ron Macorix, Listin Diario, UltraVioleta, Millennium Resort & Spa, Casa Linda Residences, Banco del Progreso-American Express, The Municipality of Sosua, and Cibao Recycling, Superstars and Latin GRAMMY award winners Milly Quezada and Johnny Ventura were a huge draw in Cabarete for their performances at the closing night of the Festival. Both Johnny Ventura and Milly Quezada are international merengue icons, born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The La Gallera Spectacular was presented by Jochy Sanchez, featuring a dynamic show with an 18 piece orchestra and dance troupe of performers.

The Dominican Republic Jazz Festival is a renowned, annual cultural event that brings Jazz to a diverse crowd of music lovers, comprised of local residents and tourists alike. The festival also brings music education to the region through its affiliation with FEDUJAZZ, a non-profit organization that conducts musical workshops for youth. During the 2013 Festival, over 1,000 children participated in free workshops led by Artistic Director Ramon Vazquez, with participating musicians including Abraham Laboriel, Rufus Reid, Bernie Williams, the prestigious Berklee Global Jazz Institute, Latin and GRAMMY Award nominee Alex Acuna, Richie Flores, Marco Pignataro, George Garzone, Billy Drummond, and GRAMMY Award winner Horacio Hernandez. 

The 18th Dominican Republic Jazz Festival is tentatively set for Nov 6-9, 2014, for more information please visit the official website http://drjazzfestival.com/

Media Contact: Kelly Mearkle, kelly@fedujazz.org, Tel. 1.809.991.5554