Profiles in Giving

Dennis & Kate Abbe

A legacy for more than 20 years, and into the future

When Dennis and Kate Abbe moved to Healdsburg they were looking for a change from their Silicon Valley days where Dennis had a successful career as a software developer with Microsoft. Fun fact: If you’ve ever attended a business presentation in corporate America, you’ve likely witnessed the functional magic of one of Dennis’s major software projects—Microsoft PowerPoint!

Dennis and Kate bought a home in Dry Creek Valley with a small hobby vineyard in 1998. It wasn’t long before they discovered the charm of live music in Healdsburg, including the Healdsburg Jazz Festival in 1999, which was just beginning at the time. After meeting the festival founder, Jessica Felix, Dennis quickly became more involved as a volunteer, and before he knew it, he raised his hand to take the lead on festival ticket sales. Dennis shared memories of festival tickets becoming so in demand in the days before web sales that he was fielding calls from ticket buyers from among the vines at their home to ensure availability.

Dennis is a music lover and audiophile who has made an indelible mark on Healdsburg Jazz and collected unforgettable memories along the way, including the festival highlight of Charlie Haden performing with Ravi Coltrane and Geri Allen at The Raven in 2007 and volunteer celebration parties with the musicians over the years. Dennis also had a big hand in helping Healdsburg Jazz to grow into the organization it is today by taking on progressive responsibilities through the years.

What started as a volunteer opportunity expanded into more formal service when Dennis took on the role as Treasurer for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival and served on the Board of Directors to help steer the organization. Now, after more than two decades, Dennis and Kate continue to actively support the organization through regular donations, and they recently made the impactful decision to include Healdsburg Jazz as part of their estate plan. The Abbes decided to include a generous percentage of assets from their trust as a general gift to Healdsburg Jazz to support the future of the organization, which Dennis hopes could one day help to realize the vision of a permanent location for Healdsburg Jazz performances in Healdsburg.

We are so grateful for the gifts of ongoing support, volunteer work, Board service, and valuable advice the Abbes continue to lend to Healdsburg Jazz. Considering their history with the organization, Dennis and Kate Abbe are leaving not only funding for the future, but a beautiful legacy along with it.

The volunteers of Healdsburg Jazz are critical to the success of our annual festival, and we simply could not do it without them!

Click here to explore more ways to get involved.

For the Wollners, it’s more than the music—it’s the community.

Howard and Barbara were introduced to Healdsburg Jazz through the magic of free live jazz at Hotel Healdsburg on Saturday nights. As a musical kickoff to date nights, and as a place to celebrate special milestones over the years, it’s not unusual to find the Wollners enjoying live jazz at the hotel to this day.

When they settled in Healdsburg full time in 2009, they became patrons of Healdsburg Jazz and Howard joined the Board of Directors for several years, helping to steward the organization and its annual festival. Barbara shared that they were drawn to the bounty and beauty of Sonoma, highlighting how important it is that we continue to protect our environment and support local agriculture and organic farmers, and to maintain our special community by engaging in local issues and contributing where we can make a difference. The Wollners are also supporters of Corazón Healdsburg, and have helped to make connections between organizations so concert programming is more representative of the Latin-American population of Healdsburg.

Several Healdsburg Jazz moments stand out as favorites for the couple, including back-to-back appearances by Esperanza Spalding at the annual festival, selling out the Raven Theater just as she was beginning her ascent in popularity. Legendary pianist Joanne Brackeen playing under the fairy lights of Barn Diva’s courtyard, and Marc Cary’s “Tribute to Abbey Lincoln” at SHED in 2014 were joyful affairs to remember. And over the years, the opportunity to see the greats of jazz such as Charlie Haden, Bobby Hutcherson, and Billy Higgins, in intimate settings like those offered in Healdsburg, continue to be standout moments that the Wollners look forward to each year.

Looking ahead, Barbara and Howard are excited to see the festival continue to evolve to include intersecting art forms, like poetry and dance, which current Artistic Director Marcus Shelby has successfully incorporated into recent programming. They emphasized maintaining the delicate balance of keeping the festival intimate and accessible to locals and our younger audiences while allowing it to flourish in a sustainable way. They also reinforced the importance of continuing our focus on youth education, finding ways to be more inclusive, to further diversify our offerings, and that welcoming people of all ages and backgrounds is critical to our continued success.

What advice would the Wollners have for those who are looking for ways to support the arts? If you have the resources, provide financial support—even small donations make a big difference. And if you have the time, consider becoming a volunteer. The volunteers of Healdsburg Jazz are critical to the success of our annual festival, and we simply could not do it without them!

Click here to explore more ways to get involved.