The ASCAP Foundation, under the leadership of President Paul Williams and Executive Director Patricia Leonard, partners with the DC Jazz Festival, headed by President & CEO Sunny Sumter, to support the next generation of jazz creatorsfor a fourth year.

The 2026 DC JazzFest is set to take place September 2-6, 2026 and supports DC250’s celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary through the quintessential American art form. This year’s lineup features The ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award recipient Hannah Marks alongside jazz’s most influential players from Kurt Elling & Yellowjackets to Lisa Fischer. Marks will take the DC JazzFest stage at Pearl Street Warehouse at 33 Pearl Street SW, Washington, DC on Saturday, September 5 at 4:15 pm.

“As we commemorate 250 years of America, there is no better way to celebrate than by supporting the emerging creators who are shaping the future of one of our nation’s most storied art forms,” said ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams. “We are honored to partner for a fourth year with DC Jazz Fest  to champion the next generation of jazz composers.”

“Jazz is a living art form, sustained by extraordinary artists who honor its rich legacy while boldly shaping its future. At The ASCAP Foundation, we’re proud to support creators throughout their artistic journeys, which is why our partnership with DC JazzFest is so important. Providing this opportunity to one of our Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award recipients reflects our shared commitment to the future of jazz,” said The ASCAP Foundation Executive Director Patricia Leonard.

The Hannah Marks Quartet featuresMarks on bass, Jonathan Paik on keyboard, Mark Valdes on drums and Max Light on guitar. Earlier that day, Marks will join “ASCAP FOUNDATION CONVERSATION: NEXT VOICES,” a free “Meet The Artists” discussion at DC’s Arena Stage. She will also be a featured guest on “VERSED: The ASCAP Podcast” in August.   

Hannah Marks

Marks, who is recognized on DownBeat magazine’s 2026 Critic’s Poll Rising Star Bassist list, is a bassist, composer and educator living in New York City. She currently leads a risk-taking acoustic jazz quartet that features NYC’s most in-demand sidemen and has showcased her musical projects at the Detroit Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, 80-35 Music Festival, Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival, Iowa City Jazz Festival and Indy Jazz Festival. Produced by Jason Moran, her second album, Feed the Fire, was released in June 2026 on Endectomorph. Marks’ debut album, Outsider, Outlier (2023), is an explosive rendering of her search for belonging and empowerment. In a nod to her love for punk, noise and free improvisation, Citizen Jazz called Outsider, Outlier “…a very mature record from a young artist with very strong ideas who does not hold back anything.” As a side-woman, Marks has been described as having “a fresh, modern, and original approach to playing the bass” by trumpeter Marcus Printup. She tours internationally with NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater’s project “We Exist!” and has performed with Geoffrey Keezer, Nasheet Waits, Terri Lyne Carrington, Anna Webber, Miles Okazaki, Ingrid Jensen, Kalia Vandever, Matt Wilson, Ted Nash, Morgan Guerin, Marcus Printup and Sasha Berliner. Marks’ discography includes performances on Geoffrey Keezer’s Grammy Award-winning composition “Refuge,” Amanda Ekery’s Grammy-nominated Arabé, Kristen Lee Sergeant’s Falling with saxophonist Ted Nash, and Heartland Trio’s debut album Year One.

Marks is passionate about jazz education, serving on faculty at Fordham University during the academic year, and at Interlochen Arts Camp, Stanford Jazz Workshop and Jazz Camp West during the summer. She has also presented masterclasses at universities across the country and adjudicated at the Reno Jazz Festival, Clark College Jazz Festival and Simpson College Jazz Festival. Several organizations have funded Marks’ creative endeavors, including Chamber Music America, South Arts, The Jazz Gallery and the Boulder County Arts Alliance. She has been a composer in residence at Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (2025), Yaddo (2024) and MacDowell (2023). Marks is an alumna of the Stanford Jazz Workshop Mentor Fellow program (2022-23), the Woodshed Network (2021), Betty Carter Jazz Ahead (2019) and the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music (2018). She holds a Master’s degree from New England Conservatory, where she studied with Jason Moran, Anna Webber, Joe Morris and Frank Carlberg. A native of Des Moines, Marks received a Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she studied with Walter Smith III, Kurt Muroki and Jeremy Allen.

The Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards were established by The ASCAP Foundation in 2002 to encourage gifted jazz composers up to the age of 30. The program carries the name of the great trumpeter and ASCAP member Herb Alpert in recognition of The Herb Alpert Foundation’s multi-year financial commitment to support this unique program. The recipients, who receive cash awards, are selected through a juried national competition.

More information on this year’s Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards recipients can be found at https://www.ascap.com/press/2025/03/03-28-foundation-herb-alpert-recipients.

About The ASCAP Foundation

The ASCAP Foundation was founded in 1975. It is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization established as a separate entity from ASCAP, dedicated to supporting and encouraging American music creators through music education, talent development and humanitarian programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org


About DC Jazz Festival (DCJF)

DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded by renowned jazz producer Charles Fishman and his wife, attorney Stephanie Peters, in 2004. The organization aims to provide enriching and entertaining jazz performances and programs which introduce students and adults from all walks of life to jazz, our nation’s singular original art form. DCJF presents a selection of the jazz genre’s most acclaimed artists as well as emerging artists and provides enhanced exposure for the rich treasure trove of musicians from the Washington, DC area. For more information, visit https://www.dcjazzfest.org/