Rooted & Growing: Our FY26 Annual Report

Twenty-five years in, and still growing

Twenty-five years ago, two working musicians decided Nashville needed a place where jazz could live and grow. Our FY26 Annual Report, covering July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, is a look at what that idea has become.

We called it Rooted & Growing. In our anniversary year, the Workshop paid $175,762 to local musicians, filled 102 performances with more than 6,000 people, taught 230+ students, and launched something this city had never had: its own jazz festival.

It was a year of new leadership, too. Max Abrams stepped into the role of Executive & Artistic Director, and his opening letter sums up the year in one line: "This year, the Workshop put in some serious work!"

The year at a glance

• $175,762 paid to Nashville musicians. That's $115,094 to performers on our stages and $60,668 to teaching artists, reaching at least 160 musicians. Many of them performed one night and mentored students the next.

• 102 performances, 6,000+ people in the room. 77 ticketed concerts sold 4,208 tickets, and about 25 free community performances welcomed 1,880 more people at no cost.

• A festival debut. The first Nashville Jazz Festival, presented with Jeff Coffin at 3rd and Lindsley on October 25-26, 2025, brought 13 acts, 70+ paid musicians, and 800 attendees. It raised $70,000, with 10% going to student scholarships.

• 230+ students, 24 teaching artists. More than 50 classes served students from middle school through adulthood. At Youth Jazz Camp, 8 of our 30 campers attended on scholarship -- more than one in four.

Flip through the full report

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