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Staci Griesbach Brings Jazz to Door County: A Festival Under the Sturgeon Moon

By Tom Barans
7/30/2025

What happens when you mix the soul of country music, the sophistication of jazz, and the magic of a moonlit summer in Wisconsin? You get Staci Griesbach’s Songbook Series—and the first-ever Door County Jazz Festival, launching August 4–9, 2025, with a lineup that’s as celestial as the Sturgeon Moon it’s timed to.

Griesbach, the genre-bending vocalist known for her jazz-soaked takes on Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, and George Jones, isn’t just headlining stages anymore—she’s building them. Her Door County Jazz Festival will celebrate centennial birthdays of jazz royalty like Oscar Peterson, June Christy, Cal Tjader, and the late George Wein—visionary behind the Newport Jazz Festival.

“Door County is one of the most beautiful places on earth,” says Mark Davis, Artistic Director of the Milwaukee Jazz Institute. “A Jazz festival there is a perfect fit.”

With collaborations from music institutions like UW-Madison, Lawrence University, and the Milwaukee Jazz Institute, and support from community legends like Green Bay Packers Give Back, this isn’t just a festival—it’s a cultural movement in the making. And it’s all wrapped in the laid-back charm of Wisconsin’s most scenic peninsula, where lawn chairs, lake views, and legendary tunes collide.

Griesbach adds, “I remember waving to George Wein at Newport from across Fort Adams Park. That magic—that vision—is exactly what we’re channeling in Door County.”

🌀 From intimate park concerts to headline performances under the stars, this is jazz reimagined, revived, and ready for the next hundred years.

🎟️ Learn more at: www.doorcountyjazzfestival.com

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