Neighborhood Nonprofit Spotlight: Gary Spencer, PDX Jazz Festival

Patch talks to Gary Spencer about his work with PDX Jazz Festival.

Patch: Tell us about you! A brief bio about yourself and some background on your organization.

Gary: I'm the Box Office and Membership Manager. I've been with the organization since 2015. PDX Jazz is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to the presentation, preservation and promotion of jazz in the Pacific Northwest. We stage concerts at venues throughout the Portland area all year long, and we are also responsible for the yearly Portand Jazz Festival, now known as the PDX Jazz Festival.

Patch: When did you open/launch?

Gary: 2003

Patch: How does PDX Jazz Festival strengthen the Portland community?

Gary: We at PDX Jazz believe that music enriches lives. Through our concerts, education and outreach initiatives in the community, we are fostering the growth of the jazz audiences in the Pacific Northwest as well as cultivating the next generation of jazz fans and musicians with our education programs such as Jazz in the Schools, The Incredible Journey of Jazz and soon, an adult jazz education program that we are very excited about.

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Gary: I love music and I love jazz. I'm honored to be a part of spreading the joy of music in our community and I love hearing all the great feedback we get from our Members and concert goers.

Patch: What is your biggest struggle?

Gary: As with most nonprofit organizations in the performing arts, maintaining funding and sponsors is always an ongoing matter, but I wouldn't say it's a struggle. Some sponsors and funding have been with us for years and we continue to attract new venues for sponsorship and funding as well.

Patch: What do you see for the future?

Gary: We're always looking for new ways to expand our education and outreach in the community, and we are actively developing these aspects of our operation. The annual PDX Jazz Festival in February continues to grow artistically and financially, and we are doing more off-season concerts than ever and we hope to continue this trend.

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Photo by: Mark Sheldon