SFJAZZ appoints Grammy-winner Terence Blanchard as executive artistic director
Terence Blanchard, a seven-time Grammy Award-winner and a two-time Academy Award nominee, has been named the new executive artistic director at SFJAZZ.
“I am honored and excited to become a part of such an amazing and historic institution,” Blanchard says. “SFJAZZ has meant so much to the development of America’s greatest art form. I am looking forward to collaborating with the staff while also bringing my own ideas about how to move our music forward and continue the SFJAZZ mission to explore the full spectrum of jazz — from its origins to its diverse and evolving expressions around the world today. I cannot wait to continue this journey.”
Blanchard, who is starting immediately, is taking over from Randall Kline, the SFJAZZ founder who has been preparing to step down this year from the arts organization he started back in 1983.
“Terence Blanchard is an extraordinary artist whose experience and accomplishments make him an ideal creative leader for SFJAZZ, building on the incredible legacy that Randall Kline has worked to create over the past 40 years,” says SFJAZZ CEO Greg Stern.
Blanchard, an incredibly accomplished composer, bandleader and trumpeter, “will lead the organization’s artistic programming and guide its overall creative direction,” according to a news release.
His career stretches over 40 years, from his early ’80s stint with the legendary Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers to composing film scores for Spike Lee and others. He was the recipient of a 2018 USA Artist Fellowship as well as a 2023 Peabody Medal and has held positions at the Berklee Institute of Music, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
The appointment is the latest chapter in what has been a lengthy relationship between Blanchard and SFJAZZ. He has performed several times for the organization over the years and served as an SFJAZZ resident artistic director from 2014 to 2016.
“As executive artistic director, Blanchard will be the artistic leader of the organization and will help formulate and implement artistic programming across diverse disciplines and genres,” according to the news release. “He will work closely with the teams at SFJAZZ to curate year-round concert programming, expand the SFJAZZ ‘At Home’ digital platform, and further develop community engagement and educational offerings.”
Blanchard’s appointment comes after a national search, conducted by Arts Consulting Group.”
Blanchard joins the arts organization as it hosts the 40th San Francisco Jazz Festival, which runs through June 18 and includes more than 40 shows. For more information, visit sfjazz.org.