The Story Behind the International Jazz Festival with Marc Iacona

For nearly 25 years, the Rochester International Jazz Festival has drawn hundreds of thousands of visitors to downtown Rochester each June, transforming the city into one of the premier jazz destinations in the world. In Episode 244 of the Rochester Living Podcast, co-founder and executive producer Marc Iacona returns for a wide-ranging conversation about what it takes to build and sustain an event of this scale, the legendary performances that have defined it, and the vision that continues to drive it forward.

Marc's passion for the festival is evident in every answer. What started as an ambitious idea to bring world-class jazz to Rochester has grown into a cultural institution that draws artists from across the globe, generates significant economic impact for the region, and — perhaps most importantly — gives Rochester something to be genuinely proud of every summer.

Planning, Feedback, and the Post-Festival Process

Marc explains that the work of building the festival never really stops. Within days of the final curtain, feedback begins flowing in from attendees, sponsors, and community partners. The festival works with Rochester Research Group to gather structured data on economic and cultural impact, but the informal feedback — the texts, emails, and conversations — starts immediately. Marc notes that most of what comes back is positive, but the team takes constructive criticism seriously and works to address what they can in the following year.

One consistent theme in the feedback is the element of surprise. First-time attendees are often stunned to discover that they can park once and walk to more than ten indoor venues, with free outdoor performances running from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. every night. The logistical precision of the festival — the safety, the food, the flow — is something Marc and his team have refined over two decades, and it shows.

The Partnership Behind the Festival

The Rochester International Jazz Festival is not built by a large corporate machine. Marc emphasizes that more than 95 percent of the festival's services are outsourced to local businesses, creating a supply chain that is deeply embedded in the Rochester community. From production crews to catering to security, the festival functions as an economic engine for dozens of local companies and hundreds of local workers.

That local-first philosophy extends to the festival's sponsorship model as well. Marc discusses the challenge of building meaningful sponsorship tiers that provide real value without diluting the festival's brand or overwhelming attendees with commercial messaging. He is also exploring new venue opportunities, including a new space below Theater Innovation Square, as part of an effort to expand the festival's footprint and offer creative new sponsorship experiences.

Why Jazz Still Matters

In an era dominated by streaming algorithms and pop monoculture, Marc makes a compelling case for why jazz remains one of the most vital and relevant art forms in the world. Jazz, he argues, is the ultimate expression of musical conversation — spontaneous, collaborative, and deeply human. The festival's success is proof that audiences are hungry for that kind of authentic artistic experience, even if they don't always know it until they hear it.

He also discusses the festival's commitment to developing the next generation of jazz musicians through its scholarship program. Students from Rochester-area schools have gone on to tour with artists like Herbie Hancock and the Eagles Monk Institute, and several have returned to Rochester to become part of the festival's operational team. Marc sees this pipeline of talent as one of the festival's most important legacies — a genuine investment in the future of jazz in Western New York.

The White Whale and Legendary Performances

No conversation with Marc Iacona is complete without a tour through the festival's greatest hits. He reflects on performances by Tony Bennett, Earth Wind & Fire, Chick Corea, Sheryl Crow, Seal, and Boz Scaggs — artists who didn't just show up to collect a check but delivered performances that left the audience and the production team genuinely moved. He is candid about the challenges of booking major artists in an era when Live Nation controls so many tours and ticket scalping bots have distorted the economics of live music.

The festival's "white whale" — the dream booking that has always been just out of reach — is a recurring theme. Marc discusses the structural barriers that make certain artists impossible to book at the festival's price point, and his creative thinking about how to work around those barriers, including the possibility of staging shows at the Cross Arena as part of the festival footprint.

The Legendary Jazz Jam Sessions

For many festival regulars, the late-night jazz jam sessions are the highlight of the entire week. Marc explains that this year the festival will host two jam sessions — one at the Hyatt and one at a newly renovated jazz club on Broadway — running from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. The sessions are free with a media club pass and feature a rotating cast of musicians who drop in spontaneously, turning the stage into a genuine musical conversation between artists who might not have played together in years.

Marc describes the magic of these sessions: headliners and emerging artists sharing the same stage, reconnecting with old friends, and playing purely for the love of it. It is, he says, the purest expression of what the festival is all about.

What Keeps Marc Going

After nearly 25 years, the question of what sustains Marc's passion for the festival has a clear answer: the community. He talks about watching young musicians who received festival scholarships grow into world-touring professionals and then return to Rochester to give back. He talks about the volunteers, the local business owners, the sponsors, and the hundreds of thousands of attendees who show up every June and make the festival what it is. The festival, he says, has become a family — one that he hopes will continue for generations to come.

Listen to the Full Episode

You can watch and listen to this full conversation with Marc Iacona on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

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