43rd Seaacoast Jazz Festival Returns to Prescott Park, Featuring Varied Jazz Styles

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The waterfront event will feature bebop, New Orleans brass, and Latin swing on the Wilcox Main Stage.

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Prescott Park Arts Festival, in partnership with the Seacoast Jazz Society, will present the return of the 43rd Annual Seacoast Jazz Festival, taking place on the Wilcox Main Stage as part of the River House Restaurant Concert Series. This beloved, long-running festival brings a full day of world-class jazz to Portsmouth's waterfront on Saturday, August 22, from 12 PM to 6 PM, with a rain date of Sunday, August 23.

Now in its 43rd year, the Seacoast Jazz Festival has deep roots in the Portsmouth community. First held in 1983 under the name Portsmouth Jazz Festival, the event was known for over 25 years as the Tommy Gallant Jazz Festival, honoring the legendary local jazz pianist and composer. In recent years, it has grown into the Seacoast Jazz Festival, intending to become a destination event featuring acclaimed jazz artists from around the globe. The Seacoast Jazz Society, formed in 1990, supports the festival's mission to promote jazz through community outreach and education, support local musicians, and provide scholarships for young artists.

Mark Shilansky, President of the Seacoast Jazz Society, looks forward to this year's festival and related jazz activities: “The Seacoast Jazz Society is once again happy to partner with the Prescott Park Arts Festival to present the 43rd Annual Seacoast Jazz Festival, both in supporting America's original art form of Jazz and in offering it at its usual suggested donation pricing, to ensure access for the largest possible audience. We are again showcasing music throughout Jazz's rich history, from New Orleans music to Swing to Latin Jazz and beyond, at Prescott Park Arts Festival, and also throughout the weekend at other participating venues like the Dance Hall at Kittery and the Press Room. The Seacoast area helped me develop as a jazz pianist and fan since I attended UNH in the late 80's, and the Seacoast Jazz Festival has been an annual destination for me that entire time. I am grateful to be able to help continue this tradition with the Seacoast Jazz Society, and I am excited to take in all the great music with you this year.”

This year, in addition to the 43rd Annual Seacoast Jazz Festival at Prescott Park Arts Festival, the Seacoast Jazz Society is sponsoring a kickoff concert on August 21 at The Dance Hall in Kittery and three jazz shows at The Press Room on August 22 and 23. Be on the lookout for more info on "Portsmouth Jazz Weekend."

In keeping with the Arts Festival's tradition of accessibility, all performances are offered for a recommended donation of $20 at the gate. Reservations are never required to attend, but are available for those who wish to have a spot waiting for them. Premium seating is available through The Kane Company VIP Seating Area.

THE 2026 SEACOAST JAZZ FESTIVAL LINEUP

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Internationally acclaimed pianist and composer Yoko Miwa is one of the most celebrated voices in jazz today. Named a Rising Star Pianist in the DownBeat Critics Poll for three consecutive years (2022, 2023, and 2024), her trio's 2021 release, Songs of Joy, reached #1 on national jazz radio charts and was voted one of the best jazz albums of the year in DownBeat's Annual Readers Poll. Ahmad Jamal called her "gifted with both extraordinary musical skills and the pure spirit that is necessary for great art," and DownBeat has praised her "impressive technique and a tuneful lyricism that combines an Oscar Peterson-ish hard swing with Bill Evans-like introspection." A Berklee College of Music professor and regular at New York's Blue Note and Birdland, Miwa opens the festival with the kind of playing that reminds you why jazz is America's greatest art form.

New England's beloved ambassadors of New Orleans music, the Soggy Po' Boys, have become a genuine institution since forming in 2012, spreading the joy of the Big Easy from concert halls to street corners and everywhere in between. London Jazz News called them "genuine in their ambition to spread the word about jazz New Orleans style." Featuring eight musicians and drawing on traditional New Orleans jazz, Caribbean rhythms, Meters funk, soul, and brass band street beat, the Po' Boys deliver the kind of show that makes it impossible to stay in your seat.

Award-winning guitarist and composer Nick Grondin, Resident Artist in Jazz Guitar at the University of New Hampshire and Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, presents his original music as modern musical storytelling, blending rock, folk, and contemporary jazz into something entirely his own. His latest album, A View of Earth, features Grammy-winning vocalist Aubrey Johnson and producer/pianist Jon Cowherd. Joining him is an extraordinary ensemble: saxophonist Gregory Groover Jr., whose Criss Cross Records debut earned widespread critical acclaim; trumpeter Jason Palmer, who has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Roy Haynes, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra; vocalist Taylor O'Donnell, an Associate Professor of Voice at Berklee who has performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center; pianist Mark Shilansky, called an "inventive, modern mainstream jazz pianist" by the Boston Globe; bassist Fernando Huergo, who has recorded over 140 albums; and drummer Lee Fish, praised by Terri Lyne Carrington as "one of my favorites, inventive, tasteful, and exciting."

Founded by Portsmouth's own Piotrek Kowalczyk out of a love of music and the healing power of dance, Salsa Secrets has been a beloved fixture in the Seacoast community since 2010. Piotrek and his partner, Krystal Couture, bring infectious energy, joyful movement, and a deeply felt commitment to making dance accessible to everyone, a perfect interlude that will get the whole crowd moving.

A vibrant Latin music ensemble blending Cuban music with Puerto Rican salsa, Kristalis y Las Nenas del Swing delivers powerful vocals, infectious rhythms, and timeless melodies inspired by legends including Celia Cruz and La India. Led by the charismatic Kristalis, the group celebrates the rich traditions of Caribbean music through dynamic performances filled with dance, culture, and soul that connect with audiences of every background.

There is no better way to close out a day of jazz than with one of New England's most beloved ensembles. The Seacoast Big Band has been entertaining audiences for more than 40 years, regularly performing with internationally recognized guest artists and featuring outstanding performers and educators from across the region. Under the musical direction of Dr. Nathan Jorgensen, the band brings the full power and swing of the big band tradition to the Piscataqua River for a finale that will leave you on your feet.

The 43rd Annual Seacoast Jazz Festival takes place Saturday, August 22, from 12:00 – 6:00 PM on the Wilcox Main Stage in Prescott Park on Marcy Street in downtown Portsmouth, NH. Rain date is Sunday, August 23. Please note the lineup is subject to change in the event of a move to the rain date.

All performances are presented for a recommended donation of $20. Reservations are never required to attend. Premium seating is available through The Kane Company VIP Seating Area.

Tables and blankets in The Kane Company VIP Seating Area, including the coveted "Best Seat in the House," are available for reservation, offering an elevated concert experience with reserved seating and premium views. Reservations open to Season Passholders for an early access window on Thursday, June 18, and then open to the general public the following Tuesday, June 23.

Prescott Park Arts Festival invites the community to bring a blanket, gather friends and family, and enjoy incredible music in the heart of Portsmouth, all while supporting the Festival's commitment to accessible arts programming for all.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/new-hampshire/article/SEACOAST-JAZZ-FESTIVAL-to-Return-for-43rd-Year-at-Prescott-Park-Arts-Festival-20260617)._