International Jazz Day 2020 shifts to virtual celebration, will live-stream All-Star Concert due to coronavirus
International Jazz Day, including its All-Star Global Concert on April 30, has announced they will be shifting to live stream in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
The ninth annual international celebration was scheduled for the last week of April for Cape Town, South Africa, as well as other cities in the country, although the celebration's partners and organizers are still planning to celebrate the occasion on April 30.
They are calling for artistes and fans to self-create video messages that will feature in a free live stream worldwide as part of virtual programming that's presently being planned.
Additionally, organizers in 195 countries from around the world who had registered events for the 2020 celebration are being asked to participate virtually, according to Billboard.
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue and co-chair of International Jazz Day, Herbie Hancock, said in a press release, "These are unprecedented times for world citizens and we are most grateful for the support, understanding, and partnership of our Jazz Day community."
He adds, "Armed with optimism, patience and grace, we'll work through these challenges as families, communities, countries and as a stronger united world. Now more than ever before, let’s band together and spread the ethics of Jazz Day's global movement around the planet and use this as a golden opportunity for humankind to reconnect especially in the midst of all this isolation and uncertainty."
According to the release, many partners of International Jazz Day have already postponed their programs for later dates that will depend on whether the coronavirus subsides or not.
In addition to the Hancock Institute of Jazz and apart from the worldwide International Jazz Day community, support for the 2020 celebration will also involve the parties: South African Department of Sports, Arts and Culture; South African Tourism; the South African National Commission for UNESCO; the City of Cape Town, the SPIN Foundation and local partners and community leaders in South Africa.
More details about the live stream and additional programming for that day, which includes webcasts of exclusive content and a forum with renowned artistes, will be announced in the coming weeks.