The Jazz & Heritage Gala

Trombone Shorty and Big Sam's Funky Nation to Headline
The 14th Annual Jazz & Heritage Gala

Thursday, April 26, 2012 – 7 p.m.
Hilton Riverside Hotel

Tickets are $500 (or $5,000 for a table of 10) and include:
Gala Dinner
Patron Premiums
Gala Pass to Jazz Fest (good for all seven days of the festival)

Proceeds from the Gala benefit the Don Jamison Heritage School of Music, the free education program of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, a 501©(3) nonprofit organization.

To purchase tickets, please see here.

For Gala sponsorship, call (504) 558-6105.

The Jazz & Heritage Gala is a star–studded soiree that each year kicks off the Jazz Fest season with a festive fund-raiser for the foundation.

It’s a special opportunity for private and corporate citizens support the Foundation’s efforts to promote the culture of our region.

The Gala offers top-notch entertainment, often featuring artists not appearing at Jazz Fest. Past headliners have included Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, B. B. King and Nancy Wilson, Fats Domino, Smokey Robinson, Bonnie Raitt, Natalie Cole, Dr. John, Al Jarreau, Little Richard and many others.

As they dance the night away, Gala patrons feast on a sumptuous supper prepared by some of New Orleans’ finest chefs.

Our 2012 headline performers include the young New Orleans funk-jazz superstar Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and his band, Orleans Avenue, along with Big Sam's Funky Nation. Troy and Sam are both graduates of the Foundation's Heritage School. 

Sponsors of the Gala enjoy a wealth of benefits, including the Gala itself, special passes to Jazz Fest (with unlimited re–entry), public recognition of their support and the pride of having contributed to one of New Orleans’ most active and generous arts institutions.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation is in many ways the ultimate Social Aid and Pleasure Club — that unique type of New Orleans organization whose purpose is to promote, preserve, perpetuate and celebrate the joy and well-being of its own community.

By participating in the Gala, a sponsor can march at the head of our never–ending second–line parade, honoring our great culture with reverence and sustenance.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation: When the Festival is over, our work is just beginning.