The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival (DEJF) is an annual celebration named in honor of musical genius and native Washingtonian Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington. Each year, thousands of music lovers come together in the nation’s capital to share in the city’s rich jazz history, to see local and world-renowned jazz artists and to pay tribute to legendary jazz greats.
The DEJF’s programming meets the diverse interests of jazz aficionados and families from Washington, DC and cities worldwide with its impressive mix of local, national and international jazz artists. Presenting a broad range of performances and events at venues throughout the city, the DEJF has established itself as a highlight of Washington, DC’s annual cultural calendar and is rapidly becoming recognized as a world-class jazz festival. Annual featured events include the free, all-day concert on the National Mall, a student educational series, the Celebrating National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Masters concert, a "Jazz ‘n Families Fun Day," the popular "Jazz in the ‘Hoods" and the "International Jazz Showcase".
The DEJF premiered in 2005, and is supported, in part, with a major grant from the Government of the District of Columbia, Adrian M. Fenty, Mayor; by corporate and foundation sponsorships; and, in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the NEA.
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