Rochester International Jazz Festival 2025 Vocalist Hilary Gardner, described by The New Yorker as “a singer with a beguilingly subtle wit,” grew up a New Yorker at heart in the jazz hinterland of Wasilla, Alaska. Following stints in Italy and Seattle, WA, she moved to New York City in 2003. Hilary has released four recordings as a leader, receiving critical acclaim from the jazz world’s major publications; DownBeat Magazine declared her “an artist to watch” and has named her a Rising Star Female Vocalist five times, including in 2024. With her newest recording, On the Trail with The Lonesome Pines, Gardner returns to her rustic roots, delving into repertoire from the “singing cowboy” era of the 1930s-40s, songs described by The Times of London as “Manhattan-meets-moonshine gems.” Featuring Justin Poindexter (guitars, vocals), Noah Garabedian (bass), Aaron Thurston (drums), and Sasha Papernik (accordion), the album evokes the expansiveness and romantic allure of the American West–replete with purple hills, silver stars, and the freedom to roam, unhurried and unworried, under endless western skies. The Wall Street Journal deemed the album “something new and wondrous.” Learn more... Admission: Club Pass or $30/door Rochester International Jazz Festival runs from June 20 - 28, 2025. Check out the full schedule here.