With a very heavy heart, we are saddened to announce the passing of Our Angel of Jazz, Gretchen C. Valade.  We join the world in mourning her death, and celebrate her lifelong contributions to the Detroit community, specifically her unwavering commitment to the propagation of Detroit’s jazz legacy and the preservation of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation and the Detroit Jazz Festival, the world’s largest admission-free jazz festival.

We will continue to honor Gretchen’s vision and legacy through our mission of jazz for everyone in Detroit and around the world.