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It’s mid-spring and amidst the warmer weather and occasional April shower, summer plans have blossomed at two Stanford institutions: the Stanford Jazz Festival and Stanford Live’s summer festival, now known as Summer@Live, announced their lineups in the past month. Here’s what’s on tap for these two staples of the sunniest season.
Stanford Jazz Festival
The Stanford Jazz Festival evolved out of the Stanford Jazz Workshop, which each summer provides educational programming for young musicians, while bringing together featuring top talents and newer names in jazz, who teach students and perform six weeks’ worth of shows for the public to enjoy.
The 53rd annual Stanford Jazz Festival gets underway June 22 with a performance by a favorite festival pairing, the “Indian Jazz Journey” featuring Indian classical vocalist Mahesh Kale with tenor saxophonist George Brooks. The festival’s opening weekend highlights two New York-based jazz luminaries in back-to-back shows, with the Fred Hersch Trio, led by the respected jazz pianist (June 27) and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and his quintet (June 28); while vocalist Tiffany Austin pays tribute to Sarah Vaughan in a June 29 show.
Audiences can expect the return of festival favorites such as tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Anat Cohen, who teams with 7-string guitarist Marcello Gonçalves to perform an evening of Brazilian music (July 19). And pianist Taylor Eigsti, who recently took home his second Grammy Award, returns to the festival. A child prodigy who was raised in Menlo Park, Eigsti has a long history with the festival. He’ll perform with saxophonist Ben Wendel (July 31).
Other lineup highlights include vocalist Lizz Wright and her unique brand of “country jazz” (July 26); rising-star vibraphonist Joel Ross and his Good Vibes combo (July 24); versatile guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli (July 12); pianist Caili O’Doherty performing the deeply personal “Suite for GearóidÃn,” written for her mother (July 14); pianist Paul Cornish making his Bay Area debut as bandleader July 27; and the return of pianist and violinist Victor Lin celebrating the music of Studio Ghibli (July 17).
There’s also signature festival events such as Early Bird Jazz for Kids (July 12) with Dr. Dave Hart and the Zookeepers, while blues guitarist Chris Cain will make his first appearance at Ruth Davies Blues Night (July 16).
“This year’s festival lineup captures the incredible breadth of the jazz tradition, and I’m continually inspired by how these artists bridge generations and styles, reminding us why jazz remains such a vital and evolving art form,” said Stanford Jazz Workshop Executive Director Cory Combs in a press release.
Performances take place at Campbell Recital Hall and Dinkelspiel Auditorium on the Stanford campus. For a complete festival lineup, visit stanfordjazz.org.
Summer@Live
The Stanford Live Arts Festival has a new name for 2025, rebranding as Summer@Live, but what hasn’t changed is the event’s eclectic lineup of world and classical performances, all held under the stars at Frost Amphitheater.
The San Francisco Symphony returns with two performances, opening the festival July 10 with conductor Stephanie Childress leading the symphony in a program of best-known works by Tchaikovsky, including his music for the ballet “Sleeping Beauty” and the 1812 Overture.
Bollywood star Raja Kumari, a Grammy nominated rapper and songwriter, headlines “TAMASHA: An Extravaganza of Desi Fusion” on July 12 celebrating well-known and emerging talents from South Asia. Comedian and musician Abby Govindan emcees the evening, which also features a DJ set by Vani; a dance party with Bay Area-based Duniya Dance & Drum Company and a drag performance from The Masala Mahal featuring Bindi Masala, Chai Auntea, and Shaidy Bee.
The San Francisco Symphony is back at Frost on July 17 for a program conducted by Sarah Hicks highlighting the movie music of composer Hans Zimmer, such as “The Lion King,” “Interstellar,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Batman: The Dark Knight,” “Gladiator” and “Dune.”
Closing out Summer@Live on July 19 is a return appearance by ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro, headlining the IMUA Hawaii Festival. The show melds reggae, blues and folk sounds and also features performances by Paula Fuga and Seven Suns.
For more information, visit live.stanford.edu.
