On Nov. 10, music and art will be placed on stage once again for the Clearwater Jazz and Art Festival Holiday Edition. Open from 12-6 p.m. at the Brewing Projekt, this free event will bring in musicians and arts from around the area to share their passions with the community.
Matt TenBroek, the social media manager and campus liaison for the festival, said this is an event for artists to look forward to in the area. The event offers more opportunities for artists to get out there and show their work.
“We value, as an organization, fostering and cultivating art and music within the community,” TenBroek said.
The event is set up to have two stages for jazz musicians to perform, but the full music lineup can be found on their website. According to TenBroek, the second floor of the Brewing Projekt will be dedicated to showcasing around 15 artists and their work.
Joe Lustek, a co-organizer for the festival, said this is the second year of the event and their team is excited to continue showcasing a variety of bands and artists at the same time.
“There were always art fairs and music opportunities to go and see,” Lustek said. “But this combined the two, which is new to the Eau Claire area and Chippewa Valley.”
The event will offer performances, art vendors, food trucks and drinks for patrons to stop in and enjoy all afternoon. According to Lustek, there is no charge for admission or for the performances.
One of the musical performances is the Clearwater Honors Jazz Ensemble, a group made up of nine high school students in honors band and directed by Tyler Lustek, a UW-Eau Claire associate lecturer. Funded through a grant at the Pablo Foundation, the group consists of students from around the Chippewa Valley and is instructed by local professional jazz musicians.
According to Lustek, the group is a way for l’Eau Claire Jazz Society to continue educational pursuits over jazz and not just planning performances. The group had their first performance on Oct. 25 alongside the Chippewa Valley Jazz Orchestra.
The Clearwater Jazz and Art Festival Holiday Edition is following up the two-day Clearwater Jazz and Art Festival hosted this past August. The event gathered around 4,000 people and their previous holiday event hosted an estimated 1,500-2,000 people. The organization is hoping for similar numbers on Nov. 10 according to Lustek.
“The more we get people out, with something to do and get people out of the house, it helps build community,” TenBroek said. “It gets people aware of ‘Wow, there’s a lot of art happening in Eau Claire. There’s a lot of music happening in Eau Claire.’”
To learn more about the event head to l’Eau Claire Jazz Society’s website.
Fisher can be reached at [email protected].
