Deanna Witkowski © Elimar Coelho

Photography of Norm Harris. An exhibit featuring the jazz photography of Norm Harris opens on Friday, with a celebration from 6-10 pm. Live jazz from saxophonist Virginia Mayhew’s quartet and an open jam with the Katie Cosco Trio will add to the festival’s opening evening.

Workshops. On Saturday, April 21, 10 am – Noon, Sheila Anderson (WBGO TV host) will present a workshop to help performers enhance their careers. For students, a workshop addressing “What is Jazz” will be held Saturday afternoon, 2:30 – 4 pm.

Performances. A variety of performances featuring women artists take place throughout the weekend:

• Saturday, 2:30-3:15 pm, Deanna Witkowski Quartet. Winner of the 2002 Great American Jazz Piano Competition and a past guest on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, pianist Deanna Witkowski fuses jazz, Afro-Latin, classical, and sacred music. With her quartet she recently released Length of Days (ArtistShare). In addition to performances at jazz venues, concert halls and festivals, Witkowski has composed jazz masses and other liturgical music in Chicago and New York.

Golda Solomon

• Saturday, 3:30-4:15 pm, Golda Solomon, jazz poet. Golda Solomon’s Po Jazz project brings together established and emerging poets with a small group of jazz musicians, blending the spoken word and improvised instrumentation. Established in Sleepy Hollow, NY, Po Jazz is now housed at the Cornelia Street Café.

Carol Sudhalter Quartet

• Saturday, 4:30 -5:15 pm, Carol Sudhalter Quartet. Multi-reedist Carol Sudhalter helped form the first all-female Latin Band in the late 70s (Latin Fever), then her own Astoria Big Band in the mid 80s, a thirteen-piece group that is still going strong. A producer of jazz festivals and concert series, Carol keeps busy with the big band as well as her quartet and sextet. Her quartet features Dmitri Kolesnik on bass, Joe Tranchina on piano, and Tootsie Bean on drums.

Ann Hampton Callaway

• Saturday, 7:30-10 pm, Ann Hampton Callaway. From cabaret to Broadway, Ann Hampton Callaway has built her reputation not only as a singer but as a songwriter and actress. Among many honors, she was a Tony nominee for "Best Featured Actress in a Broadway Musical" (for Swing); as the ASCAP Winner of the "Johnny Mercer Songwriting Award;" as the winner of the New York Theatre World Award for "Outstanding Broadway Debut"; and as the Lincoln Center "2003 Featured Artist."

Kate McGarry

• Sunday, 5:00-6:30 pm, Jazz Vespers with Kate McGarry/Keith Ganz. McGarry just released her third recording for Palmetto (The Target), further solidifying her reputation as one of the most original voices in vocal jazz. Husband Keith Ganz is an inventive, lyrical guitarist, and together their Jazz Vespers will be indeed heavenly.

• Sunday, 7:30 – 8 pm, Youth-in-Jazz Past Winners, with vocalist Meryl Zimmerman and vibist/vocalist Allison Mondesir.

Janice Friedman

• Sunday, 8-8:45 pm, Janice Friedman Trio. Pianist, singer, songwriter and arranger Janice Friedman recently celebrated the release of her third recording, Swinging for the Ride. Her first gig was with Slide Hampton, and she has appeared with the likes of Milt Hinton, Cab Calloway, Marian McPartland and Claudio Roditi. Swing, blues, and bop all rise to the surface in her joyful approach.

Carla Cook © Jimmy Katz

• Sunday, 9-9:45 pm, Carla Cook and Friends. Detroit native Carla Cook is one of the more daring individualists among jazz vocalists, one who looks to the universe of song for her inspiration, from classical European traditions to R&B, Motown, blues and gospel, even rock and pop. She’s released a series of acclaimed recordings for MaxJazz.

For Friday’s events, a freewill offering is suggested. For Saturday, daytime event tickets are $20, and the evening concert is $25. Sunday, freewill offering for Jazz Vespers, $20 for the evening concerts. A three-day weekend ticket is available for $50, including all events. Donations are also gladly accepted – checks may be sent to the International Women in Jazz at PO Box 230015, Hollis, NY 11423 (note for “Women in Jazz Festival 2007”). St. Peter’s Church is located at 619 Lexington Avenue at 54^th Street in New York City.