Last Saturday, February 22, 2020, ushered in the debut of the Orlando International Jazz Festival, held at the Apopka Amphitheater in Apopka, FL. The inaugural event, produced by Zita Steglich Ross, brought out a star studded lineup that included J.J. Sansaverino, Four80East, and Najee. Although the temps were a bit cool over the weekend, the show itself couldn’t have been any hotter! And closing out festival in true headliner fashion was the infamous Sheila E. She didn’t miss a step or a beat and had everyone up out of their seats dancing. She even brought up about 15 – 20 people from the audience on stage to dance with her, to debut her new song “Bailan”.
Special shout-outs to Mayor Nelson and the City of Apopka, the Apopka High School Jazz Band, the Steglich Ross team leads, volunteers, and all the vendors. Big shout to the host, DJ Kyle LaRue of Star 94.5FM and DJ Andre Mack for keeping the party going from the afternoon straight through the evening. You guys were great! Apopka Mayor, Bryan Nelson was clearly thrilled with the event and suggested next year they change the name to the “Apopka” International Jazz Festival. Hey… You never know. Let’s see what happens! You can stay abreast with festival updates by periodically visiting: orlandointernationaljazzfest.com. NewToOrlando will also be bringing you updates and info for next year’s event and any other events the Steglich Ross team may host around the region. So be sure to routinely check the NTO Events Calendar and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
For those of you who missed the show or those of you who want to relive some great memories, see the gallery below for some highlights from the concert.
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