The Vail Jazz Foundation, now referred to as Vail Jazz, was founded in 1995 by real estate attorney and investor Howard Stone, and is a 501 c(3) non profit arts organization that is in its 27th year of operation. After the success of the first Vail Jazz Party in 1995, Stone dreamed further and decided to establish The Vail Jazz Foundation as a non profit organization dedicated to the perpetuation of jazz music with a specific emphasis on young musicians and young audiences. Stone and a small team have spent the last 27 years constructing performance and education programs that are specifically designed to engage the next generation of jazz listeners and musicians. Today, the State of Colorado, Eagle County and the Town of Vail are all beneficiaries of Stone’s vision, which manifests itself in a workshop which has contributed to the musical and professional development of over 300 of the nation’s finest high school aged jazz musicians (Vail Jazz Workshop), a music education program for 4th and 5th graders that reaches approximately 1,400 children a year (Jazz Goes to School), a community-based hands-on music education experience for children 12 and under (Jammin’ Jazz Kids), an annual festival spanning 12 weeks of summer and entertaining over 20,000 people (Vail Jazz Festival), and a winter series that presents 3 to 4 internationally recognized artists in a collection of intimate settings (Vail Jazz Winter Series). Vail Jazz has risen to become a staple of the performing arts and music education, reaching thousands of children and families each year through its performance and educational programs.