Today, South Arts is pleased to announce the inaugural 2026–2027 Jazz Road Rural Tours pilot cohort. The cohort includes 11 jazz artists and ensembles receiving grants of up to $15,000 each and individualized support to develop tours reaching rural communities across the country.
Part of South Arts’ national Jazz Road initiative, Jazz Road Rural Tours is a special pilot designed to expand access to live jazz while testing a more collaborative approach to artist touring. South Arts and Jazz Road will work alongside the selected artists to develop tour routes, build relationships with presenters, identify communities and shape budgets that support meaningful and sustainable touring experiences.
“With this pilot, we wanted to have a real impact in rural communities. We started with artists who already have meaningful ties to those places, and used our resources to help connect them with presenters there, so the experience can be meaningful for artists, presenters, and community alike,” said Drew Tucker, Director, Music Programs & Partnerships at South Arts.
Organized by South Arts with support from Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, the Jazz Road pilot program will help these 11 artists and ensembles connect with new audiences in rural communities nationwide, with particular attention to opportunities across the South. The resulting tours will invite audiences and community members, including those who may not regularly have access to live jazz, to experience the breadth and vitality of the art form in their own communities.
The inaugural 2026–2027 Jazz Road Rural Tours cohort includes:
Claudens Louis Miami | Miami, Florida Justin Varnes Marietta | Georgia
Ella Mae Dixon | New York, New York Pedro José Pastrana | Oakland, California
Jahari Stampley | Chicago, Illinois Sean Mason | Charlotte, North Carolina
Joshua Henderson | New York, New York Stephanie Chou | New York, New York
Julius McKee New | Orleans, Louisiana Svetlana Shmuyian | Pound Ridge, New York
Justin Jones Wellington | Wellington, Florida
Jazz Road Tours is led by South Arts in partnership with the other five U.S. Regional Arts Organizations: Arts Midwest, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Mid Atlantic Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, and Creative West (formerly Western States Arts Federation). Since launching in 2018, the program has expanded opportunities for jazz artists, opened doors to new audiences, and strengthened artists’ presence in communities across the United States and its territories.
Artists for the Jazz Road Rural Tours pilot were selected through a competitive review process based on artistic excellence and their personal and/or musical connections to specific rural communities. Artists first submitted letters of interest describing those connections before being invited to apply. Rather than submitting fully developed tours, selected artists will collaborate with Jazz Road and South Arts to build routes, presenter relationships, and budgets tailored to their work and the communities they hope to reach.
South Arts is planning future Jazz Road Tours funding cycles; application dates and additional details will be announced. To learn more about Jazz Road, awarded artists and their tours, or to apply for support, please visit southarts.org.
About South Arts
South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value, and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.
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