The DeMiero Jazz Festival kicks off in Edmonds this Thursday through Saturday, with a group of award-winning musicians set to appear at Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410-4^th Ave. N. for evening concerts.

A new addition to the festival this year is Thursday night’s Festival Gala, set for 8 p.m., a welcoming celebration that includes preview performances by New York Voices, Dee Daniels, and Greta Matassa and an opportunity for the public to meet the featured artists and faculty in an informal setting.

New York Voices, Dee Daniels and Greta Matassa will be the featured performers for both Friday and Saturday nights, along with Kennelly Keys Music All-Star Band.  Seattle Jazz  Singers will also perform on Friday. Performances start at 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday.

The annual Jazz Festival is produced by Friends of Frank DeMiero, an Edmonds-based non-profit corporation based aimed at honoring and continuing the vision of Northwest jazz educator Frank DeMiero —  to help young people develop life skills through music.

The three-day DeMiero Jazz Fest consists of two components: a daytime performance/clinic component for all-age school and community-based vocal groups as well as school based instrumental jazz ensembles (JazzReach); and an evening public performance component that features prominent artists from the world of jazz. During the daytime component, non-competitive sessions are held in which students perform for and are critiqued by prominent jazz educators. On two of the three daytime sessions, all participants are invited to meet and interact with headliner guest artists in a group setting.

For tickets and more information, visit the ECA website.