The 2023 Rivers & RSC Jazz Festival will feature multi-Grammy Award-winning bassist and Berklee College of Music professor Oscar Stagnaro as this year’s guest artist. Stagnaro is revered for his Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz compositions and pedagogy. Before their trip to Cuba in March 2024, Rivers Jazz students will be giving a send-off performance at the festival with Stagnaro’s compositions and arrangements, including “Mariella’s Dream” and “Homenaje a Arequipa.”

Stagnaro will be closing the event with works by multi-Grammy and Latin Grammy winning artist Paquito D'Rivera. Stagnaro has been performing in D’Rivera’s own quintet since the early ‘90s.

The Rivers & RSC Jazz Festival began in 2007 and is a full-day event filled with music performed by The Rivers School and The Rivers School Conservatory’s jazz ensembles. Over the years, the ensembles have performed tunes representing a variety of jazz styles including bebop, fusion, and contemporary. Numerous world-class jazz artists have been featured artists at the festival, among them are: Harvey Diamond, George Garzone, Greg Hopkins, Bill Lowe, Donny McCaslin, New World Jazz Octet, Adam Niewood, Mario Pavone, and Bruno Råberg.