jazz society
of hood county

From a Conversation to a Community Tradition

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The idea began when four friends, Matt and Reagan Deming and Jesan and Brigit Sorrells, were sitting around a bar talking about their shared love of jazz and wishing there were more opportunities to enjoy it right here in Granbury.

At first, they dreamed of opening a jazz speakeasy. But as the conversation grew, so did the idea. Why create something just for a few people when they could share the music with the whole community?

And so, the Granbury Jazz Festival was born.

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What started with four friends quickly grew as Andrew Stonerock, John Dreyfuss, and Janice Horak joined the effort, helping turn an ambitious idea into a real community event. Together, this small group laid the foundation for what would become the Jazz Society of Hood County.

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Following the festival's first year, Jesan and Brigit stepped away from the project, and the Jazz Society of Hood County was formally established to carry the vision forward. What began as a conversation between friends became a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping the music playing and making jazz a lasting part of our community.

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Today, our Society is made up of musicians, singers, university jazz professors, a high school band director, and people from all walks of life who simply love music. We each bring something different to the table, but we're united by the belief that live music enriches our community and should be accessible to everyone.

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The Granbury Jazz Festival

 

The Granbury Jazz Festival remains at the heart of what we do.

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Each year, we bring talented jazz musicians from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, across the country, and beyond to perform right here in Granbury. With three stages of live music, the festival offers everything from the familiar sounds of traditional jazz and big band to the creativity and energy of contemporary jazz.

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And the best part? The music is free.

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We want families to come out together, friends to spend an afternoon listening to great music, and people who have never considered themselves jazz fans to stumble across something they didn't know they'd love.

Whether you know every tune or can't name a single jazz musician, there's a place for you at the festival.

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Passing the Music Along

 

We love a great jazz performance, but there's something especially exciting about watching young musicians discover their own love for the music.

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After our first festival, we began thinking about how we could do more to encourage jazz education. What was originally our Big Band Stage evolved into an Education Stage, giving high school and university jazz ensembles a place to perform and be heard.

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These student musicians have the opportunity to play for a real festival audience and receive feedback from experienced jazz professionals. It's a chance to grow, gain confidence, and experience the excitement of being part of a larger musical community.

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But our commitment to music education doesn't stop at the festival.

Through the Society, we're working to make jazz more accessible to students throughout Hood County and the surrounding area.

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Here's how we're putting that commitment into action:

• Jazz in Our Schools: We help fund performances by professional jazz musicians in local schools, introducing students to live jazz and giving them opportunities to experience the music up close. We hope to bring these performances to more schools as funding allows.

• Student Performance Opportunities: Our Education Stage welcomes high school and university ensembles, giving young musicians opportunities to perform, learn, and connect with professional artists.

• Supporting Emerging Musicians: We've hired university students to perform at our events, providing paid performance opportunities and helping young artists gain professional experience.

• Music Scholarships: The Society offers scholarships to support students pursuing music education, while also directing resources toward programs that bring jazz directly into our schools.

 

We're dreaming about what's next, too. We'd love to offer free jazz clinics and bring professional clinicians into schools to work directly with student ensembles. One idea we're exploring is an Education Stage award that would provide a winning school with a full day of professional jazz instruction.

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These are goals we're excited about, and with the continued support of our community, we hope to make them a reality.

Because the future of jazz isn't just on the stages of today's festivals. It's in our school band rooms, our young musicians, and those first moments when a student discovers just how much fun making music can be.

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More Music, More Often

 

While the Granbury Jazz Festival may be our largest event, we don't believe great music should happen only once a year.

We also host Jazz at Sledge, a celebration of live jazz at Sledge Distillery in the beautiful countryside near Tolar. With two stages of music, wide-open outdoor spaces, and a relaxed atmosphere, it's another chance to gather with friends, enjoy some incredible musicians, and support the local places that make our community special.

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Whether it's a festival, a special event, or a performance in a school, we're always looking for ways to bring more jazz into the lives of the people around us.

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A Society Built by Our Community

The Jazz Society of Hood County is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization led by a volunteer board.

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Our board includes professional jazz musicians, university professors, singers, a high school band director, and music lovers who are simply passionate about what we're building together.

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We're not a large organization with a big staff. We're local people giving our time, energy, and talents because we believe in the value of music and the joy it brings to our community.

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And none of this would be possible without the generosity of our sponsors, donors, musicians, volunteers, and neighbors who believe in what we're doing.

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Meet Our Board

 

Officers and Leadership

• Matthew Deming, President

• Reagan Deming, Vice President

• John Dreyfuss, Treasurer

• Shanda Adams, Secretary

• Andrew Stonerock, Talent Acquisition

 

Board Members

• Ben Holmes

• Matthew Nelson

• Patrick Allen

• Vurl Bland

• Taylor Hatfield

• Fred Sanders

• Kaylah Daum

 

Founding Members

• Jesan Sorrells

• Brigit Sorrells

• Matthew Deming

• Reagan Deming

• Andrew Stonerock

• John Dreyfuss

• Janice Horak

 

We're grateful for everyone who has helped shape the Society, from that first conversation to the growing community of people who support our mission today.

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There's Room for You Here

 

One of the things we love most about jazz is how it brings people together. Different instruments, different voices, different experiences, all contributing to something bigger than themselves.

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That's what we hope the Jazz Society of Hood County can be for our community, too.

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You don't have to be a musician or know anything about jazz to be part of what we're doing. Come enjoy a performance, bring your family to the festival, encourage a young musician, or help us bring jazz into another local school.

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Whether you're a lifelong jazz enthusiast or just curious to see what all the excitement is about, we'd love for you to join us.

Great music is meant to be shared. And we can't wait to share it with you.

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With Special Thanks

We want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to Janice Horak, who joined us in those earliest days and remained a dedicated member of the board through five years of the Granbury Jazz Festival.

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Janice generously shared her time, energy, and talents to help bring our vision to life, serving on the board and helping the Society grow from a small group of enthusiastic music lovers into the organization it is today.

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We're deeply grateful for her dedication, her contributions, and the important role she played in building something our whole community can enjoy. Janice will always be an important part of our story.