Jazz Congress, the unique conference that brings together members of the global jazz community to nurture the bond between artists, media professionals, and industry leaders, today announces Rio Sakairi, The Jazz Gallery Artistic Director, is the recipient of the 2027 Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award. Composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, friend and frequent collaborator of Ms. Sakairi, will present her with the award on Wed., Jan. 13 in the Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

The Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award was created in 2014 in honor of the longtime jazz record executive who was a champion and advocate for so many jazz artists over the last four decades. The annual award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and vision in expanding the audience for jazz and has made a difference for artists, the music, and audience. Previous award recipients include Randall Kline, Brice Rosenbloom, Christian McBride, Terri Lyne Carrington, Darlene Chan, Barry Harris, Danilo Perez, Dee Dee Bridgewater, John Clayton, and Lee Mergner.

As the Artistic Director at The Jazz Gallery since 2000, Sakairi has established herself as a leading expert in the field. Under her leadership, The Jazz Gallery has come to be known as “the most imaginatively booked jazz club in NYC” (NY Times), while becoming a three-time recipient of the CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. Sakairi also received the 2016 Jazz Hero Award and was an only non-artist recipient of 2020 Jazz Coalition Commission, in recognition of the virtual programming during the Covid. She has been featured in the New York Times in 2025.

Sakairi has produced sold-out events at venues such as Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, HarlemStage, Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning etc. Rio has appeared as a guest speaker or panelist at APAP, JazzNow, and CMA Conference. She also conducted masterclasses at universities and jazz youth camps. She has served on panels for the NEA, the Doris Duke Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, American Pianists Association, CMA, Pew Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, German Jazz Prize, Gish Prize, and others. She has been a consultant to the Symphony Space, North Sea Jazz Festival, the Newport Jazz Festival, So What’s Next Festival, Cologne Jazzweek, and ACT4Music Festivals among others. Sakairi also serves the NoMad Jazz Festival as its artistic director. Veteran critic Ted Panken has observed, “Jazz would not sound the way it does today had not The Jazz Gallery served as a locus for New York City’s polyglot musical community to exchange ideas and work on moving to the next step.”

“As someone who has worked tirelessly on behalf of jazz artists, Rio Sakairi represents the very model for why we created the Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award in 2014,” said Lee Mergner, Jazz Congress Co-Producer and 2026 Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award recipient. “In her steadfast leadership of The Jazz Gallery, she epitomizes the dedication required not only to expand the audience for jazz, but also to support jazz artists through commissions of new work. The Jazz Gallery has become an incubator for new and creative jazz projects for more than a decade.” Lee continued, “As the most recent recipient of the award, I’m both honored and humbled to welcome Rio into the esteemed circle of past awardees.”

“A visionary is just a delusional dreamer without support from the people around her,” said Ms. Sakairi. “I want to take this opportunity to thank late Dr. Dale Fitzgerald who trusted me with his own dream and gave me an incredible opportunity to build The Jazz Gallery up to what it is today.” Ms. Sakairi continued, “I feel so lucky that I get unflinching support from my Executive Director, Janet Luhrs and the Board of Directors of The Jazz Gallery so that I can keep dreaming.”

More than 30 events are scheduled to take place during Jazz Congress on Wed., Jan. 13, 2027, and Thurs., Jan. 14, 2027 at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, located at Broadway at 60th Street, New York, New York.

For more information and to register, visit jazzcongress.org.

In addition to the Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award Ceremony, Jazz Congress proudly presents the Jazz Legacy Fellowship Concert featuring Kenny Barron, Marilyn Crispell, Buster Wiliams, Dee Alexander, Gary Bartz, William Cepeda, Charles McPherson, Benny Maupin, Donald Harrison, and Oliver Lake in the Appel Room on Thurs., Jan. 14.

The wide array of Jazz Congress panels include:

Sonny Rollins panel

Becoming Belongo featuring Arturo O’Farill

Where Jazz Lives: Los Angeles

The Artist Team Unfiltered: What It Takes to Make It Work

Creative connections across the Atlantic: How co-led projects are creating new artistic and touring models between U.S. and Europe

Breaking Through The Noise: Audience Building in 2027

and more to be announced.

The 2027 conference also hosts annual favorites, including the “Jukebox Jury” and “Ask Us Anything” interactive workshops. A welcome reception on Jan. 13 gives attendees an opportunity to network with colleagues from all over the world.

Funding for Jazz Congress is provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Jazz Congress Registration Rates and Deadlines:

Jazz Congress – 2 Day Pass

• • $180 –today to Nov. 17
  • $210 –Nov. 18 to Jan. 1
  • $250 –Jan. 2 onward (including walkup day of sales)
    Student
  • $60 

Jazz Congress – 1 Day Pass – Wed., Jan. 7, 2027

• • $130 –today to Nov. 17
  • $150 –Nov. 18 to Jan. 1
  • $175 – Jan. 2 onward (including walkup day of sales)
    Student
  • $60 – today through Jan. 7

Jazz Congress – 1 Day Pass – Thurs., Jan. 8, 2027

• • $130 –today to Nov. 17
  • $150 –Nov.18 to Jan.1
  • $175 – Jan. 2 onward (including walkup day of sales)
    Student
  • $60 – today through Jan. 8

For registration inquiries, including student registration rates, contact Customer Service by emailing [email protected] or calling 212.258.9800.

The Empire Hotel, located at 44 W. 63rd Street in New York, New York, is the hotel partner for Jazz Congress.

The Jazz Congress Advisory Board includes Gene Dobbs Bradford, Terri Lyne Carrington, Chanel Enriquez, Stefon Harris, Karen Kennedy, Don Lucoff, Riley Mulherkar, Katie Simon, Denny Stilwell, and Helen Sung.

Press Inquiries:
Zooey Tidal Jones
Senior Director, Public Relations and External Communications
Jazz at Lincoln Center
212.258.9821
[email protected]