SPAC's Saratoga Jazz Festival gets new lead sponsor

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- It was announced in May that after 27 years Freihofer’s would no longer be sponsoring the Saratoga Jazz Festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) after 2024. This year's festival was held on June 29 and 30, and then SPAC announced its new sponsor for at least the next five years.

Starting in 2025, GE Vernova will be the new lead sponsor and the festival will be titled Saratoga Jazz Festival, presented by GE Vernova. The 2025 festival is scheduled for June 28 and 29.

"We are elated to welcome GE Vernova as the new sponsor of the Saratoga Jazz Festival. Our two organizations share deep roots in the Capital Region, and we are uniquely aligned in our commitment to tradition and innovation – much like Jazz itself -- steeped in rich history, yet ever-vibrant and evolving," said President and CEO of SPAC Elizabeth Sobol.

SPAC said GE Vernova has committed to a five-year partnership with $200,000 going to the festival each year. The event was initially founded as the "Newport Jazz Festival at Saratoga" and was then named the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival from 1998 to this year.

"The Capital District of New York has long been our home and will continue to play a vital role for the GE Vernova family,” said GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik. "This new partnership reinforces that, as we are committed to investing in the communities in which we work, live, and lead. We are truly honored and excited to support this important cultural institution."