Cutting-Edge Women in Jazz celebrates the rich and evolving musical landscape shaped by influential women from the early 1900s to today—honoring jazz giants such as Mary Lou Williams, Ingrid Jensen, Roxy Coss, Marianne Trudel, and Renee Rosnes.
At the heart of this celebration is Mary Petrich, a dynamic saxophonist, composer, and educator whose passion for creativity and improvisation has shaped a uniquely expressive voice in both jazz and classical music. As director of the Women’s Jazz Initiative at The Nash and founder of Nash Jazz DivAZ, Petrich is a leading advocate for music education and the empowerment of young women in jazz. A dedicated faculty member at Phoenix College, she teaches jazz improvisation and combo performance, inspiring students to discover and develop their own artistic voices.
On stage, Petrich has performed with the Phoenix Symphony, The Temptations, AZ Festival Orchestra, and The Phoenix Chorale, in addition to leading her acclaimed OpenHand Quartet. Her latest ventures—The Jazz Women Collective and The Nash Little Big Band—further spotlight the artistry of female composers and performers, continuing her mission to elevate, diversify, and celebrate women’s voices in jazz—past, present, and future.
