Downtown Albany Jazz Fest Competition Announced - Winner to Play Opening Set at the Riverfront Jazz Festival

ALBANY, NY (07/21/2011)(readMedia)-- The City of Albany and the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District (BID) are proud to announce the 1st Annual Downtown Albany Jazz Fest Competition to coincide with the 10th Annual Riverfront Jazz Festival. The competition, slated for Friday, September 9, 2011 from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM in numerous downtown Albany establishments, will feature selected regional and local bands competing for the prize of playing the opening set on stage at Noon the following day at the Riverfront Jazz Festival. To date, participating venues include Jillian's, R Bar, Franklin's Tower, Bayou Café, McGeary's, Taste, Pearl Street Pub, 74 State, Figure 10, and Blue 82. Attendees will vote for their favorite performance throughout the evening and the winner will be announced by midnight on the BID's website.

Submissions by Capitol Region jazz bands and artists will be juried by a panel of judges and those selected will be eligible to compete on September 9, 2011. Completed applications, along with mp3 files of two songs and a promotional photo in JPEG format, should be e-mailed to the Downtown Albany BID at info@downtownalbany.org, or received at the BID office on 40 N. Pearl Street, no later than August 10, 2011 at 3:00 PM. Bands chosen to compete will be paid a $100 stipend. Applications can be found on the BID's website at www.downtownalbany.org. Questions can be directed to Marcie Bergan, Director of Operations at the BID, at 465-2143 x 13 or mbergan@downtownalbany.org. For the latest information and developments regarding the Jazz Fest Competition the BID's website will periodically post event updates.

Put on by the Special Event division of the City of Albany, the Riverfront Jazz Festival is a free event that has hosted artists such as Joshua Redman, Ravi Coltrane, and John Scofield. Attendance of over 10,000 is expected for the festivities at the Albany Riverfront Park Amphitheatre at the Corning Preserve on Saturday, September 10, 2011 from 12:00 PM – 8:30 PM. For more information on the Riverfront Jazz Festival visit www.albanyevents.org or call 518-434-2032

The Downtown Albany Business Improvement District (BID) is an organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the character, vitality, and possibility of downtown Albany. Through its many programs and events, the Downtown Albany BID works to enhance the image of Albany and further its reputation as a prosperous and exciting city to live, work, and visit. For more information on the BID please visit www.downtownalbany.org.