John Ernesto The End of an Era @BERKS

I had the pleasure of speaking with John Ernesto, the Artistic Director of the Berks Jazz Festival for over three decades.

- Mia Howard

This year, the 33rd year of the Boscov's Berks Jazz Festival, John decided to retire. As of June 1, 2024, John Ernesto will officially retire from his position. John's dedication to the festival has consumed a great deal of his life so when he passes the mantle in June, he will finally get to enjoy some of the things he didn't have time to do while working with Berks Jazz, such as going to the Phillies spring training with his wife and relaxing.

My intent when I connected with

John Ernesto was to interview him. I had prepared questions I wanted to ask. It was supposed to be a formal interview, but the moment we connected, it became a conversation, not an interview. John made me feel like I was speaking to a friend. He was warm and humorous. It was very clear to me that this was his nature with everyone. John’s kind, gentle and fun nature is what I believe contributed to his being able to get the community to unify to make each festival better than the last for over 3 decades. John is humble and very grateful. Not one time during our conversation did he take sole credit for the success of Berks Jazz Festival. He always gave praise to the 300+ volunteers, the Berks Arts board and the community at large.