The Guelph Jazz Festival Board is delighted to announce that it has hired Karen Ng in the newly formed position of Assistant Artistic and General Director. Karen will be working in tandem with Scott Thomson, who has been promoted to position of Artistic and General Director, on festival programming and administration. This restructuring of the GJF staff is in response to the announcement that Julie Hastings will be retiring from her position as Director of Operations at the end of November.
Julie has been at the core of the GJF for twenty-four years, an incalculably important contribution to the organisation, so it was appropriate that Scott Thomson dedicated this year’s 25thAnniversary edition of the festival to her. To replace Julie, Scott and Karen will commence work in December as the driving forces of the organisation, aiming at our 2019 edition, 12-15 September. Karen is a multitalented Toronto-based saxophonist and programmer whose credits include co-founding and programming the Tone Festival, Board membership with the Music Gallery, and programming for Somewhere There (series and festival). The GJF is delighted – and the city of Guelph is lucky – to have her aboard.
photo by John Oswald