Jazz St. Louis

What Jazz St. Louis does

Jazz St. Louis is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1995 in St. Louis, Missouri, dedicated to advancing jazz through live performance, music education, and community engagement. Operating from the Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz in the Grand Center arts district, the organization runs the Ferring Jazz Bistro — an acoustically distinguished listening room recognized by DownBeat Magazine as one of the world's top jazz venues in 2026 — and the adjacent Nancy's Jazz Lounge operated with food-and-beverage partner Birch Culinary. Each season the organization presents 270+ performances and serves 46,000 annual visitors, anchored by 500+ subscribers to multi-tier season packages (Series 1-3, Coffee Concerts, Choose Your Own) plus single-ticket sales, with current programming focused on its 30th Anniversary Season (September 2025-June 2026).

The organization's product surface extends well beyond the concert series into a vertically integrated education and community platform. Programs include JazzU (scholarship-based combos for middle and high school musicians), Jazz Academy (free middle-school development), Jazz for Our Schools (field-trip programming with transportation support), Artist Residency, the Regional Essentially Ellington Festival co-produced with Jazz at Lincoln Center, and an Elementary Curriculum Partnership (Jazz Concepts for the Young Beginner). Community offerings include Whitaker Jazz Speaks (a foundation-funded lecture series), a monthly Book Club, the Clark Terry Jazz Ambassador Award, Swing for Scholars, and an OLLI/Washington University partnership. A weekly radio program, The Next Set, is co-produced with St. Louis Public Radio 90.7 FM, and a foundation-supported donor recognition society (the Barbara Rose Society) operates with five tiers ranging from $1,500 to $25,000+.

The revenue model blends earned income (subscription and single-ticket sales, gift certificates, ancillary F&B), contributed income (individual giving including the Rhythm Section recurring donor program, corporate sponsorships from organizations such as World Wide Technologies and Ameren, and major-donor recognition through Barbara Rose Society), and institutional grants from arts funders including the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, Whitaker Foundation, Steward Family Foundation, Bayer Fund, Staenberg Family Foundation, and Arthur & Helen Baer Foundation. The organization is governed by an independent Board of Directors chaired by Robert Steward, employs approximately 18 staff, and is currently operating under Co-Interim Executive Directors Cynthia Danley and Adaron 'Pops' Jackson following Victor Goines' February 2026 departure, with a national executive search underway.

Name

Jazz St. Louis

Legal name

Jazz St. Louis

Website

https://jazzstl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jazz St. Louis is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1995 that operates the Ferring Jazz Bistro venue and presents 270+ live jazz performances annually, serving 46,000 visitors and 500+ subscribers while running education programs that have reached 200,000+ students across 100+ St. Louis-area schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Live Music Venue

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC), Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD), Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

Keywords

• Live jazz performances
• Jazz education programs
• Performing arts venue
• Concert subscription series
• Nonprofit arts organization

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from subscription series packages and single tickets for concerts at the Ferring Jazz Bistro. Includes various pricing tiers based on seating location and performance type.
2. Donations and Charitable Giving: Individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants supporting programs and operations. Includes The Rhythm Section recurring donor program and Barbara Rose Society major donor recognition.
3. Grants: General operating and program support grants from arts foundations including $80,000 from Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis.
4. Show Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships of specific performances providing brand exposure to subscriber base of 500+ and 46,000 annual visitors.
5. Food and Beverage: Revenue from dining and bar service at concerts operated by Birch Culinary partner.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Jazz St. Louis is a nonprofit performing arts organization that presents live jazz concerts at the Ferring Jazz Bistro inside the Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz in St. Louis, offering subscription concert series and single-ticket performances by nationally and internationally acclaimed jazz artists. The organization complements its performance programming with a robust suite of education programs (JazzU, Jazz Academy, Jazz for Our Schools, Artist Residency, Essentially Ellington, Elementary Curriculum Partnership) and community engagement initiatives serving students, musicians, and audiences.

Product overview

Jazz St. Louis is a nonprofit jazz presenter and performing arts organization operating the Ferring Jazz Bistro as its primary venue within the Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz in Grand Center, St. Louis. The organization operates as a platform-plus-programs model centered on live jazz performance, complemented by extensive education and community engagement initiatives. The core product is the 30th Anniversary Season Subscription Series (Sept 2025-June 2026), offering 18+ shows through Series 1, 2, 3, Coffee Concerts, and Choose Your Own options. Education programs include JazzU (scholarship-based combos for grades 6-12), Jazz Academy (middle school development), Jazz for Our Schools (field trip program), Artist Residency Program (week-long artist engagements), Regional Essentially Ellington Festival, and Elementary Curriculum Partnership with the Jazz Concepts for the Young Beginner online resource. Community offerings include Whitaker Jazz Speaks Lecture Series, Jazz St. Louis Book Club, The Next Set radio program with St. Louis Public Radio, Clark Terry Jazz Ambassador Award, Swing for Scholars, and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute partnership. Special programming includes the Miles in May centennial celebration and Nancy's Jazz Lounge adjacent bar.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ferring Jazz Bistro: The primary performance venue operated by Jazz St. Louis within the Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz, described as an acoustically exceptional listening room and one of the best in the country.
• Nancy's Jazz Lounge
• JazzU
• Jazz Academy
• Jazz for Our Schools
• Artist Residency Program
• Essentially Ellington Festival
• Whitaker Jazz Speaks

Products and services

• Ferring Jazz Bistro (Concert Venue)

Quantifiable outcome

• 270+ performances annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Jazz at Lincoln CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produces the Regional Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Festival in St. Louis. Jazz at Lincoln Center is an internationally acclaimed jazz organization, and this partnership brings their education-focused festival to the St. Louis region with all-star clinician lineup.
• St. Louis Public Radio (KWMU 90.7 FM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to produce 'The Next Set: From Jazz St. Louis,' a weekly radio program bringing live jazz performances from the Ferring Jazz Bistro to listeners across the region. Includes artist interviews and airs Fridays and Sundays at 8pm.
• Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Washington UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative 8-week course entitled 'Why Jazz Matters' for adults age 50+. Explores jazz music and its role in 20th century history through interactive listening sessions, analysis of compositions, and culminates with a live performance.
• Birch CulinarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood and beverage partner operating the dining service at Ferring Jazz Bistro and Nancy's Jazz Lounge. Provides chef-inspired cuisine, craft cocktails, and full bar service for concert-goers. Nancy's Lounge offers live streaming of shows on 90-inch TV with no cover charge.
• School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistrict-wide Elementary Curriculum Partnerships focusing on reaching general music teachers and students with Jazz Concepts for the Young Beginner (JCYB) curriculum resources, professional development, and in-school performances.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Jazz at Lincoln Center: The country's most prominent nonprofit jazz presenting and education organization, combining performance (Dizzy's Club, Rose Theater), education, and community programs in a single integrated model — the closest analog to Jazz St. Louis's platform-plus-programs approach, and a direct co-production partner via the Essentially Ellington festival.
• SFJAZZ: San Francisco-based nonprofit that presents jazz performances, runs a major education program, and operates a dedicated jazz venue — virtually the same mission, scale, and revenue model as Jazz St. Louis but anchored in a different metro, making it the single most directly comparable peer.
• Blues Alley: Washington D.C.'s legendary intimate jazz supper club, comparable in offering table-service jazz performances with national headliners — the most direct operating analog to the Ferring Jazz Bistro as an intimate dining-plus-jazz venue.
• Scullers Jazz Club: Boston-area intimate jazz supper club presenting national and international headliners in a dining-plus-jazz format; matches Jazz St. Louis in offering intimate listening-room experiences outside the largest NYC market.
• Smoke Jazz Club: Upper Manhattan jazz supper club presenting resident and touring artists in an intimate listening-room format with table service, structurally similar to the Ferring Jazz Bistro in venue scale and dining-plus-performance model.
• Birdland: One of New York's most iconic jazz clubs, presenting headline national touring jazz artists in a dinner-and-show format that directly parallels the Ferring Jazz Bistro's premium evening programming.
• The Jazz Gallery: NYC-based nonprofit presenter focused on jazz performances plus artist development and education programming; closely mirrors Jazz St. Louis's combination of intimate presenting and community/educational mission, though at a smaller scale.
• The Green Mill: Chicago jazz venue with deep performance history presenting touring and local artists; comparable to Jazz St. Louis in operating an intimate venue with national jazz programming in a Midwestern metropolitan market.

Emerging players

• Monterey Jazz Festival: California-based nonprofit operating one of the country's longest-running jazz festivals plus year-round education programming; shares the nonprofit mission and education emphasis but differs in delivering experiences as a festival rather than a resident venue.
• Jazz Aspen Snowmass: Nonprofit jazz presenter combining festivals, education, and community programming in a regional market, structurally parallel to Jazz St. Louis but primarily festival-driven rather than venue-anchored.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JazzStLouis
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@jazzstlouis
• Facebookfacebook.com/JazzSTL
• Instagraminstagram.com/jazzstlouis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jazz-st-louis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jazz St. Louis