Tenille Goodspeed still remembers her first time on the Halifax Jazz Festival’s main stage. At age 13, the lifelong choral singer and (eventual) music industry pro was part of a “small jazz group” called Generation Jazz, and they were enjoying their first taste of the spotlight.
“It was a big moment for my 13-year-old self,” Goodspeed says with a laugh, speaking by phone with The Coast.
Flash forward, and Goodspeed is back in an even bigger spotlight: On Wednesday, Feb. 21, HJF announced she’ll be stepping in as the festival’s newest executive director. She replaces Andrea Dawson Thomas, who has filled the role since 2018.
Goodspeed describes the moment as “coming home”: Before she led a rebranding of the ECMAs in 2022 or helped to grow festivals like Wayhome and Boots and Hearts, she volunteered with the Halifax Jazz Festival back when it was still on Queen Street. Later, she served as HJF’s marketing coordinator for the better part of 2013 to 2015.
“It’s really where my love for music festivals and the community joy that is built from them got nurtured,” Goodspeed tells The Coast. “The nice thing is, I’m coming in at a time where they’ve announced their new strategic plan.”
Goodspeed: HJF plans to “increase community programming”
It’s been 37 years since Jazz Fest—then called JazzEast Rising—started as a non-profit organization. In the years since, the festival has welcomed the likes of Anderson .Paak, Shaggy, Chaka Khan and De La Soul, along with Canadian heavyweight talents including Feist, Bahamas and Basia Bulat. Earlier this month, the festival rolled out a five-year roadmap to “broaden its footprint” and expand its offerings beyond the festival itself. Now, HJF hosts free Jazz Labs with a “behind-the-scenes look at making music” that includes artist lectures and master classes.
“It’s really looking at increasing those kinds of programs as we move forward in the next five years,” Goodspeed says. “The festival itself is such a huge player in the creative economy. But this organization is really positioned to continue that on a year-round basis. And that’s what we’re aiming to do.”
Jazz Festival still mum on 2024 headliner
This year’s Halifax Jazz Festival runs July 9-14, 2024. But if you’re hoping for a glimpse of the festival lineup, you’ll have to wait longer. Last year, HJF announced Fleet Foxes as the 2023 headliner on Feb. 7. So far, no musical acts have been announced for the 2024 edition of the festival—though passes are already on sale.
And while Goodspeed is tight-lipped on who the headliners might be, she’s already hyping it up.
“We have some pretty exciting news coming out in the next few weeks, but I would go buy your passes [now],” Goodspeed says.
“It’s gonna be a good show.”
