The Jazz & Beyond festival committee has selected winners of the 2026 art contest. The contest this year is sponsored by the Mile High Jazz Band Association and the Nevada Artists Association (NAA).
First place winner Carol Foldvary-Anderson’s design, “Celebrate Jazz USA,” will be featured on festival poster, program cover, and T-shirt.
Second place winner is Michelle Bowler for “Jazz in Color,” and third place was awarded to Nikki Olson-George for “Rhythm Road.”
These were selected from 12 entries to highlight the 23rd annual Carson City music festival, August 14 through 23, 2026.
The original artworks submitted for the contest will be on display at the NAA Gallery, 449 W. King Street, and will be raffled off during the festival. They are individually valued at $60 to $500 and feature digital, acrylic, watercolor, photography, and mixed media artworks.
Raffle tickets will be available for purchase at the NAA Gallery and at each concert. The winning tickets will be drawn at the closing concert on August 23. The winners need not be present.
The Jazz & Beyond festival will include 25 free concerts at various Carson City venues. It opens with the Reno Jazz Orchestra led by its exciting music director and arranger, Dr. Greg Johnson, on Friday, August 14, outdoors at the Governor’s Mansion.
The Country-themed “An Afternoon at the Silver Saddle Ranch” with music, cowboy poetry, and mule rides will be on Sunday, August 17.
Some festival highlights are the dynamic 6-piece Latin-jazz ensemble, No Comprende, on August 18 at McFadden Plaza; Lucky Diamond and the Incontinentals and Cherie and John Shipley’s Take This on August 19 at the Bliss Mansion; Mile High Jazz Band’s Basie’s Birthday concert on August 21; and the all-female big-band, Sapphire Jazz Ensemble on August 23.
The full schedule of events on the websites Jazzcarsoncity.com and Milehighjazz.com will be updated frequently. Annual Jazz & Beyond Festivals are presented by the Mile High Jazz Band Association and are supported by grants from Carson City, the Nevada Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts, and by private donations.
Attached Photos: Winning artworks for the 2026 Jazz & Beyond Festival contest are (L to R) first place “Celebrate Jazz USA,” second place “Jazz in Color,” and third place “Rhythm Road.”
These and nine other entries will be raffled during the festival.
