Thando, who will perform at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival Opening Night Gala. Image courtesy of Limelight Magazine.

Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF) has announced a huge long weekend of events to take place in early December, kicking off the summer festival season and marking the return of music to the city’s long-empty stages.

From 2–5 December the MIJF will play host to 70 live performances and events, including 16 premieres and album launches, as jazz takes over the city. But the party kicks off even earlier, with a special Opening Night Gala on Friday 26 November featuring the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performing arrangements by Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s Christopher Crenshaw and Melbourne’s own Vanessa Perica. The MSO will perform alongside a lineup of stellar vocalists and musicians including Vince Jones, Harry James Angus, Kylie Auldist, Michelle Nicolle and Thando.

Read the full lineup and exciting details through Limelight Magazine HERE