The 2011 North Carolina Jazz Festival will be held Feb 17-19 at the Wilmington Hilton Riverside. The three-day cabaret-style festival will feature all-star musicians from around the world and will open with a performance by one of UNCW’s jazz groups.

The NC Jazz Festival is held annually in Wilmington and is in its 31st year. The concert series will begin Thursday with the special event “Styles of Jazz,” featuring different types of jazz music, followed by traditional jazz concerts on Friday and Saturday. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m.

“People come to the festival from all over the country and Canada,” said Sandy Evans, president of the NCJF. This year audience members from 18 states will be attending, not to mention musicians from Australia and Italy.

This year’s festival will feature performances by Wycliffe Gordon on the trombone, Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar and vocalist Lynn Roberts, to name a few.  Although some of the performers have played at the festival several times, Evans says she likes to “mix it up” each year. It is jazz violinist Jonathan Russell’s third year at the NC Jazz Festival; he performed in 2007 and 2008 when he was 11 and 12 years old, and he is now 15. “He is absolutely fantastic,” said Evans. Pizzarelli and Russell will give a master class on Friday afternoon at the Hilton Riverside.

It is UNCW junior Nikolai Lipscomb’s second time playing at the NCJF.  “I’m excited to play the North Carolina Jazz Festival again,” he said. “It’s always an honor being selected to represent UNCW at an event with so many big names of jazz.” Lipscomb will be playing on drums with the Mike Waddell Combo. Lipscomb said the NC Jazz Festival is not only a good place to meet contacts, but a good line on a resumé, especially because it can be challenging to pursue a career in music.

Evans said tickets for Friday and Saturday night usually sell out, but there are still tickets available. Tickets for Thursday night’s concert are $35, and tickets for Friday and Saturday’s concerts are $50 each night. Tickets are available at a discounted price of $15 on all nights for students and $25 on all nights for Military. “We are beginning to reach out to a younger clientele,” said Gerry White, vice president and publicity director of the NCJF.

The NCJF is run totally by volunteers, said Evans. The volunteer base is made up of about 20. “It is a year-round effort,” said White. Tickets for patrons who would like to support the NCJF are $175-$200 and include the patron’s name in the program, reserved seating and a “musical” brunch on Saturday with the all-star musicians.