VMFA’s Thursday night performance program has a new name and sponsor. Now known as the Dominion Jazz Café, the free weekly event will continue to showcase performances by musicians representing all facets of the jazz genre.
Working with the Richmond Jazz Society, VMFA began Jazz Café in 2010. Dominion’s support ensures that Jazz Café will continue to be free while maintaining the quality level of performances that visitors have come to enjoy.
“Dominion’s support allows the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to continue our jazz programming for the next three years,” Director Alex Nyerges said. “Museums have evolved to serve the community with not only world-class art, but with diverse social spaces as well. This support ensures that Richmonders will continue to have free, live music performances every week.”
Dominion’s partnership with VMFA spans more than 20 years. The Dominion Resources Galleries house one of the strongest public collections of African art in the United States. Dominion has a rich legacy of sponsoring VMFA’s free cultural programs and recent landmark exhibitions including Posing Beauty in African American Art and Signs of Protest (2014), Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria and Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris (2011).
Dominion’s support for the jazz series is being made through the Dominion Foundation, the company’s charitable arm. “The sponsorship—and our long patronage of the museum—reflects our commitment to investing in community vitality and cultural diversity,” said Dominion Chairman, President, and CEO Tom Farrell, who is also a VMFA trustee. Farrell also said that while he does not participate in funding decisions made by the Dominion Foundation, he believes that Jazz Café exemplifies VMFA’s dedication to providing exceptional experiences of art and culture that engage, captivate, and delight a diverse and growing audience of museum visitors.
Dominion Jazz Café |Thursday, 6–9 pm
http://vmfa.museum/calendar/events/jazz-cafe/
January Jazz Schedule
January 7: Larri Branch Agenda
Pianist Larri Branch plays serious jazz with a light touch, from Bud Powell to George Gershwin and more with Brian Cruse on Bass, Chris Ryan on Guitar, and C.J. Wolf on Drums.
January 14: Mary Hermann Garcia
Vocalist Mary Hermann García performs with trombonist/percussionist Antonio García, guitarist John Conley, and bassist Brian Sulser in sets of music from the Brazilian and Great American Songbooks.
January 21: Doctors of Jazz
Swing and traditional Dixieland Jazz with Dick Dunsing, banjo; Martin Ryle, trombone; Rob James, cornet; Gene Anderson, clarinet; Paul Welaskay, piano; Akira Suzuki, drums; Ben Anderson, bass/washboard; Joe Troncale, vocals; Stan Goldberg, cornet.
January 28: Triple Crossing Jazz Project
Classic tunes from the Great American Songbook with Jay Brown, tenor sax/percussion; Kirkland Jackson, bass; Mary Lynn Eastman, piano.
About Dominion
The Dominion Foundation is dedicated to improving the physical, social and economic well-being of the communities served by Dominion companies, including Dominion Virginia Power. Dominion and the Dominion Foundation support nonprofit causes that meet basic human needs, protect the environment, support education and promote community vitality. For more information about Dominion (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond and one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy, visit www.dom.com.
About the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
VMFA’s permanent collection encompasses more than 33,000 works of art spanning 5,000 years of world history. Its collections of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, English silver, Fabergé, and the art of South Asia are among the finest in the nation. With acclaimed holdings in American, British Sporting, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist, and Modern and Contemporary art – and additional strengths in African, Ancient, East Asian, and European – VMFA ranks as one of the top comprehensive art museums in the United States. Programs include educational activities and studio classes for all ages, plus lively after-hours events. VMFA’s Statewide Partnership program includes traveling exhibitions, artist and teacher workshops, and lectures across the Commonwealth. VMFA, a certified Virginia Green attraction, is open 365 days a year and general admission is always free. For additional information, telephone 804-340-1400 or visit www.vmfa.museum.
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