CAMDEN — The annual Jazz in June festival, featuring Kandace Springs and the Django Festival Allstars, is set for June 14 and 15, at the Camden Opera House and at downtown sites and clubs. Tickets for the evening featured concerts at the opera house go on sale Friday, March 1, at camdenoperahouse.com.  
 
Camden’s Jazz in June festival debuted in 2019; was pandemic-postponed in 2020 and 2021; returned in 2022; and was back to its full-strength multi-day/multi-event/full- house origins last year.  
 
This year’s Friday night featured concert will be headlined by Django Festival Allstars, coming all the way from France to perform on the Camden Opera House stage. Django Festival Allstars’ high-energy performances pay tribute to legendary Gypsy Jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, whose driving, swinging style became known as “hot jazz” and it continues to grow in popularity throughout the world.

Midcoast native Myles Kelly and cohorts will open the evening with small-combo jazz.

Choose-your-own reserved seats for Friday night are $35 in advance, $40 day-of-show.  
 
Saturday will feature Kandace Springs and her all-female rhythm section. Springs’ new, almost all originals, album, Run Your Race, is a tribute to her late father, legendary Nashville soul singer Scat Spring. She credits him with much of her musical inspiration – and her obsession with cars (check out her Instagram feed). Another mentor was the late great Prince, who served as a mentor and said Springs “has a voice that could melt snow,” according to a news release.

The Saturday concert will be opened by innovative fingerstyle guitarist and composer Hiroya Tsukamoto, who fuses folk, jazz and world music.

Choose-your-own reserved seat tickets for Saturday night are $50 in advance, $60 day-of-show.  
 
Jazz in June 2024 also includes free concerts (outdoors and at the Congregational Church) by the Midcoast Music Academy Jazz Faculty Ensemble (Friday) and the UMaine Faculty Jazz Ensemble (Saturday), thanks to the opera house’s Community Arts Fund, as well as intimate performances at Zoot Coffee, The Vintage Room and The View, and Lucky Betty’s.

For the complete schedule and more information about the festival, visit jazzinjunecamdenme.com.