Coastal Carolina University will commemorate International Jazz Day by hosting a performance by the Gold Key Jazz Society of Myrtle Beach on Sunday, April 30, at 4 p.m. in the Edwards Recital Hall in the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts. The event is free and open to the public, and no ticket is required.

The performance is part of the sixth annual International Jazz Day (IJD), a series of simultaneous concerts taking place around the state, nation and world.

International Jazz Day in South Carolina, organized by the Skipp Pearson Jazz Foundation, comprises 20 events including concerts, activities and jazz jams being offered across the state over the April 29-30 weekend, the final two days of National Jazz Appreciation Month. Participating areas include Aiken, Augusta, Cheraw, Charleston (three events), Columbia five events), Conway/Myrtle Beach, Folly Beach, Florence, Hilton Head, Greenville, Lake City, Orangeburg, Spartanburg and Sumter.

The global event is hosted in Havana, Cuba, sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock will kick off the livestream event, which will feature an array of jazz artists from around the world paying tribute to the international art form.

Gold Key Jazz Society musicians include area musicians Javier Vega on flugelhorn and percussion, Denny Hess on bass, William Gerald on piano and Jesse Willis, CCU assistant professor of music, on drums.

The Edwards Recital Hall is in Room 152 of the Edwards building, located at 133 Chanticleer Drive W. on the Conway campus.

For more information, contact Amy Tully, CCU associate professor of music and associate dean of the Edwards College, at 843-349-2352 or atully@coastal.edu.