Rainbow Robert steps away from TD International Jazz Festival

Coastal Jazz & Blues Society managing director, artistic programming had nurtured local talent and social justice at the organization

RAINBOW ROBERT, managing director, artistic programming at the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival, is stepping away from the organization, the Coastal Jazz & Blues Society announced today.

Robert has worked at the fest since 1998, spearheading the artistic program for the event after late founding artistic director Ken Pickering announced his retirement in 2017. Robert had focused on supporting and promoting local talent as well as developing collaborations between West Coast and international artists. She had led education and outreach activities, including collaborative initiatives with the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice and the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation.

Coastal Jazz has said it’s “committed to engaging in a thoughtful, transparent, and equitable process to determine the future artistic leadership of the organization”, but no plans have been announced for a replacement as yet.

The fest was forced to cancel its 2020 edition, with a hybrid online-and-live fest in 2021. Its IronFest programming continues February 18 to 20, with the next TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival scheduled for June 24 to July 3.

In October, Coastal Jazz & Blues Society announced its new executive director Nina Horvath, who took the helm officially full-time last month.

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Janet Smith

Janet Smith is founding partner and editorial director of Stir. She is an award-winning arts journalist who has spent more than two decades immersed in Vancouver’s dance, screen, design, theatre, music, opera, and gallery scenes. She sits on the Vancouver Film Critics’ Circle.

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