A $100,000 legacy gift powering the 25th Anniversary of Healdsburg Jazz and beyond

We are honored to share that Healdsburg Jazz has received a generous legacy gift of $100,000 from Michael Jaret through The Michael Jaret Fund for Healdsburg Jazz Festival, a component fund of Community Foundation Sonoma County.

Michael Jaret was always a music lover and natural musician. He grew up playing guitar in rock bands with his younger brother, Peter, during their high school years, and the two continued their regular jam sessions throughout his life. Michael moved to California in 1992, working as an independent consultant in Silicon Valley and playing music around the Bay Area and at annual family reunions.

Michael’s particular love of jazz and Brazilian music grew later in his life, and he developed a passion for education as he pursued several degrees and continued his music education through private lessons. Michael and his wife, Susan, discovered the unique community of Healdsburg and broader Sonoma County, often coming to town to enjoy dinner at Dry Creek Kitchen and our free live jazz concerts at Hotel Healdsburg’s Spirit Bar. He and Susan regularly attended the annual Healdsburg Jazz festival and Michael was a big fan of Randy Vincent, a regular performer at our events. Eventually, the couple bought a home in Healdsburg, making plans to relocate to enjoy wine country full time. 

Along with his passion for music and education, Michael was a champion for social justice. His family shared with us that music always helped Michael get through tough periods in his life, and he would be gratified to know that his gift will help ensure that live performances and music education continue to be available to those who may not be able to afford them on their own.

In 2020, Michael passed away after battling cerebellar ataxia, a degenerative illness that slowly robbed him of mobility and movement. He is survived by his wife, Susan, his family, and by his incredible generosity in the form of funding to carry on free live performances and the Healdsburg Jazz festival for years to come.

Michael’s generous legacy gift gives Healdsburg Jazz more freedom to begin planning a broader vision for our annual festival and educational efforts in Sonoma County public schools. The gift is structured to grant $5,000 every year for the first ten years, with the remaining balance available at the ten-year mark—helping to secure our vision for the future and ensure Michael’s love of the annual festival, free live jazz, and music education, lives on. 

The Healdsburg Jazz team is eternally grateful for Michael’s thoughtful gift and the opportunity to steward these funds to bring music and education to the Healdsburg and broader Sonoma County community for years to come. 

In warm remembrance of Michael Edward Jaret, 1947-2020

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 Patricia Barber playing under the fairy lights of Barn Diva’s courtyard, and Marc Cary’s “Tribute to Abbey Lincoln” at The 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.