Join us for an intimate afternoon of jazz in Milton at an acoustically glorious 18th-century church featuring The Ricki Rizzo Quartet, with special guest Albert Rivera on soprano and tenor saxophone.
Ricki Rizzo (vocals) has been marked for a bright future in jazz since high school, when she was named Outstanding Soloist at the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival. Now 24 and a Master’s candidate at CUNY Queens College, she earned her Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from the University of Rhode Island. The Boston Globe praised her vocals as “clean, controlled, and immaculate.” Rizzo has performed at the Newport Jazz Festival (2023, ’24) and opened the Litchfield Jazz Festival for saxophonist Alexa Tarantino (2024) and pianist Emmet Cohen (2025). She leads her own group, The Rizzo Project, and teaches voice and piano at the Long Island Studio of Music.
Albert Rivera (soprano & tenor sax) is one of the busiest saxophonists in the New York metro area, playing 150+ gigs a year alongside a full teaching schedule. He has served as Operations Director of Litchfield Jazz Camp since 2005 and has collaborated with Don Braden, Jimmy Greene, Claudio Roditi, and GRAMMY winners Zaccai Curtis and Nicole Zuraitis, among many others. Hartford Courant critic Owen McNally called him “a modern Jazz Messenger.” Rivera’s honors include the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award and a New York City Artist Corp Grant.
Alejandra Williams-Maneri (piano) has been part of the Litchfield Jazz Camp community since age 12 and now serves on its faculty. A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory’s Jazz Piano Performance program, she has performed and recorded with artists including Steve Johns and Becca Stevens, and has worked on projects led by GRAMMY-winning producer Jay Ashby. This past summer, she performed on the Litchfield Jazz Festival Mainstage alongside Rivera, bassist Dezron Douglas, and drummer Jerome Jennings, celebrating the camp’s 30th anniversary to a standing ovation.
Sam Dingle (bass) got his start in jazz at Litchfield Jazz Camp at age 17 before launching his career in New Orleans, playing venues like Preservation Hall. He holds a Bachelor’s in Jazz Studies from Loyola University and a Master’s in Jazz Performance from Florida State University. Now based in Nashville, Dingle performs and records full-time and returns each summer to Litchfield Jazz Camp as a Master Teacher and Co-Director of Residential Life.
Event Details: Sunday, November 8 • 3:00 PM • 548 Milton Road, Litchfield. Seating is limited to 100 — early reservations are strongly encouraged. Free parking is available directly across the street.