The Festi Jazz international de Rimouski

Founded by a passionate group in 1986, the Festi Jazz international de Rimouski welcomed huge names of the jazz industry since 37 years, as Stéphane Grappelli, Wayne Shorter, and Dizzy Gillespie to only name those. Since its birth, the event brings approximately 30 000 festival-goers each year in its flamboyant and maritime ambiance where the proximity between the artists and the audience makes the success of this flagship event in the Est du Québec. The festival has earned numerous regional and national distinctions in the culture and tourism community. Thanks to its success in its early years, the event forged itself a great reputation both in Quebec and in the world, which enabled it to takes place as the second most imposrtant event in its genre in the entire province. The support of the cultural, municipal and touristic environments through this warm festival never ceases to grow. A group of volunteer music lovers support the Festi Jazz year after year, some of them supporting the festivities since no less than 25 years. The different initiatives of the organisation grew as time passed, which permited to gift the festival with brand new colors and success oriented by Quebec's jazz environment succession and radiance. Based on strong values such as proximity, accessibility, quality and collaboration developments, new international orientations guided changes like smaller show series and venues, an artistic direction centred around jazz music and ts affiliated genres, the integration of professionnal jazz players from overseas, and the accompaniment of groups from Vitrine sur la relève of the Jazz à Viennes festival (France) and the Jazz à Verviers festival (Belgique). This emphasis on emerging artists became an important lever, for Quebec's jazz in general and for the Festi Jazz, which knows since a few years now a florishing development period on the international plan as we've never seen before. The interest of medias towards the Festi Jazz and its performing artists testifies of its established quality, as articles about the festival were recently published in prestigious magazines such as Japan's Jazz Perspective and USA's famous Downbeat Magazine. (paragraphe) Through this huge artistic and organisational journey, the Festi Jazz remains a big music festival, which can congratulate oneself for achieving a tour de force by presenting high level jazz music outside of major urban centers since now more than 37 years.

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