About the Festival

2023 will be the 14th Annual Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival!  In 2010, the first Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival (MAJF) was launched by the Jazz Academy of Music, Inc., a Maryland non-profit organization, whose mission is to advance and preserve jazz music through education and outreach.  The MAJF’s three day event has been a huge success, with attendance of thousands of jazz lovers each year.  Attendees are comprised of listeners, educators, students, parents and musicians.  Attendees travel to the festival from points all along the Mid-Atlantic seaboard and beyond.

 

The MAJF showcases local and touring jazz artists of traditional genres.  Also showcased are the gospel and blues genres that are primary influences of jazz music.  One of the most important aspects of the festival is the focus on the education of young musicians.  Middle and high school, as well as collegiate, level jazz bands perform at the festival.  The students also have the opportunity to attend master classes conducted by the touring musicians that are performing at the festival, film screenings covering legacy musicians, play in open “jam sessions” with professional musicians and of course see the pros in live performances.  Many of these opportunities are free and open to the public.

 

The MAJF programming consists of 3 days of jazz music performances by some of the top musicians in the country.  Artists like NEA Jazz Masters Ellis Marsalis, Brian Lynch, Roy Haynes, Delfeayo Marsalis and Jimmy Heath; renowned pianist, the late Mulgrew Miller; saxophonist Bobby Watson and trumpeter Terrell Stafford have graced our stage.  In addition, the event has an educational component that include master classes, film screenings and interviews in front of a live audience with some of the more popular performing artists.

Schedule

EXHIBITION REGISTRATION

For an Exhibition Performances on the Atrium Stage, all performers are required to register.  See below:

  • The registration form below must be completed for each band performing on the Atrium Stage. This form should be completed by the Band Leader.
  • Each performance is 50 minutes which allows for 5 minutes before and after to setup and dismantle. The Band Leader should send the band’s setup crew to the Atrium performance area. The only equipment available on stage will be a piano, a drum set (without cymbals, chairs, stands) and sufficient microphones.
  • If you are interested, immediately following your set on the Jazz Academy of Music’s Atrium Stage show our MAJF clinicians can provide a PRIVATE CLINIC for feedback on the band’s performance. Checks should be made payable to: The Jazz Academy of Music, Inc.  You may also pay by credit card by including the payment information on the application or by calling the Jazz Academy Offices at 301-871-8418 to pay by phone.
  • All MAJF free and grounds pass events are open to band participant. There are master classes, a “Youth JAM Session”, a late-night Jam session and many performances that are free and open to the public.  Concerts held in the Main Ballroom, MAJF Club Stage, and evening Discovery After-Hour’s Stage performances require tickets.  Participating band students, and any chaperone for schools located outside of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, who would like to have one full access to all performances must pay $165 per student or chaperone for an all access economy seating pass covering the entire festival.
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ACCOMODATIONS

We are pleased to join with the Hilton for the eleventh year as our venue sponsor for the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival.  The Hilton Washington, DC/Rockville Hotel and Executive Meeting Center is an atrium-styled hotel and event venue.  It is the perfect location for the MAJF with over 19,000 square feet of expansive and flexible space.  It is located at 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The hotel features a staff committed to excellence, extraordinary dining options, and an outstanding location near the Washington Metro Transit’s – Twinbrook Station – Red Line (www.wmata.com) making it extremely accessible to most of the popular tourist destinations in Maryland and Washington, DC.  Performance space, accommodations, food, vendors, and more are all indoors under one roof.  The hotel is minutes from world-class shopping and over 200 restaurants.  It is also conveniently located to all area airports, major highways and the Amtrak train station, Union Station.  The festival room rate is $128.00 per night for rooms with single-king or double-queen bedding options.  We recommend that hotel reservations be made as soon as possible as the hotel will be fully booked for the festival.  Guests must tell the hotel reservationist that they are attending the MAJF (Group Name: MFA) to get the festival room rate.   The reservation line is 301-468-1100. All bands participating in the festival that require overnight stay must stay at the MAJF venue, the Hilton Rockville Hotel. Bands are encouraged to contact Mr. John Jordan, Hilton Director Sales and Marketing by phone at (301) 230-6777 or by email at John.Jordan@hilton.com to reserve your rooms as soon as possible. Please indicate that you are attending the MAJF in order to receive the MAJF discount on your rooms.

HOTEL LINK

LOGISTICS

• Each band will be provided an individual that will serve as its MAJF liaison at the festival. The liaison will escort the band to the rehearsal space and to the stage area and will be available to answer questions and assist with other needs and requirements.

• Each band will be provided access to a room to tune and warm up prior to the performance on the MAJF’s Atrium stage.  Each band will be allowed up to 30 minutes in the warm-up room just prior to its performance time.

• Approximately 15 minutes before a band’s scheduled performance time, the Band Director should send the band’s setup crew to the Atrium Stage performance area. The only equipment available on stage will be a piano, a drum set without cymbals, chairs, stands and sufficient microphones. While backline will be provided, schools may choose to bring their own equipment. However, on-stage time will not be extended beyond 50 minutes. Performers must bring their own percussion equipment, including vibraphones. Approximately 10 minutes before the scheduled performance time, the rest of the band should move to the performance area.

COVID PROTOCOLS

Masks are optional in all Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival spaces for visitors, staff and volunteers. If you prefer to wear a mask, you are welcome to do so. We ask that you respect others’ choices, and alert a volunteer if you have any concerns.

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