Terri Pontremoli grew up as a gifted violinist in Cleveland, where she attended the Cleveland Institute of Music and, without skipping a beat, started teaching at the school at 21. A busy freelancer, she played for Cleveland Opera, accompanied entertainers like Sammy Davis Jr., worked as a studio musician and contracted pit bands for musicals and concerts.
Then she slammed into her 40th birthday.
“I realized that I was going from cradle to grave at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and I didn't want to do that," says Pontremoli, executive and artistic director of the Detroit International Jazz Festival. “I realized it was time to try something else."
Pontremoli -- a sparkplug of a woman with a round face, blond shag, ultra-bright smile and vivacious giggle -- leapt into the unknown and found her groove in jazz. Seventeen years later, she's the head of one of Detroit's most vital cultural events and the largest free jazz festival in North America. The 29th annual event, which opens tonight with performances by singer Dianne Reeves and a tribute to Marvin Gaye arranged by bassist Christian McBride, runs through Monday on six downtown stages.
Then she slammed into her 40th birthday.
“I realized that I was going from cradle to grave at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and I didn't want to do that," says Pontremoli, executive and artistic director of the Detroit International Jazz Festival. “I realized it was time to try something else."
Pontremoli -- a sparkplug of a woman with a round face, blond shag, ultra-bright smile and vivacious giggle -- leapt into the unknown and found her groove in jazz. Seventeen years later, she's the head of one of Detroit's most vital cultural events and the largest free jazz festival in North America. The 29th annual event, which opens tonight with performances by singer Dianne Reeves and a tribute to Marvin Gaye arranged by bassist Christian McBride, runs through Monday on six downtown stages.
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