Join the team for the official opening of Wangaratta's 34th Festival of Jazz & Blues. The Railyard will show off their exceptional hospitality offerings with finger food, while Mark Fitzgibbon & special guests entertain. Mark returns to the festival, the winner of Wangaratta's National Jazz Award back in 1991.

The party will be held in the Garden Bar section of the Railyard between 5:30 and 7:30PM.

Your ticket will include Finger Food and drinks will be available at Bar prices.

This is an 18+ function.

Those wishing to party on at the Railyard can then purchase a ticket for the 8PM show in the Courtyard to see Glenn Skuthorpe open for Nardia & Jimi Hocking.

Mark Fitzgibbon was born into a strong entertainment tradition.

He is the son of well known Melbourne entertainer Graham “Smacka” Fitzgibbon nephew to actress \singer Maggie Fitzgibbon and grandson to pianist \ vaudevillian Min Fitzgibbon, his sister Nichaud is a famed jazz vocalist.

A piano student of Fred Thomas, Marie Driscoll, Trevor Barnard he also studied alto sax with Peter Clinch. Mark worked with many leading Melbourne bands in the 80’s including the Vince Jones band and Wilbur Wildes “Blowout”.

In the 80’s moved to UK and performed throughout Europe and UK In London worked as a freelance pianist regularly performing at the 606 club, Pizza Express and Ronnie Scott’s jazz clubs.

Notable bands included Tommy Chase Qt, Alan Barne’s Pizza Express Modern Jazz Sextet, Clarke Tracey Gerard Presencer qt, Jean Toussaint, Ruth Rogers Wright Moontwist, The Moodists, Bryan Spring trio, Don Weller ,Art Themen , Henry Lowther qt , Tina May and Claire Martin. Mark returned to Australia in the 90’s and won the National Jazz Award at the Wangarratta Jazz Festival. He has performed throughout Australia with many leading Jazz Artists such as Dale Barlow, Bernie Mcgann, Chris Mcnulty, Grace Knight.

A highly regarded jazz pianist, Mark has continues to be demand within Australia as a solo artist, accompanist, composer and recording artist on stage, TV and radio. He has accompanied American jazz stars Scott Hamilton, Lee Konitz, John Stubblefield and Mark Murphy on their Australian tours and continues to tour Europe and Asia.

Mark performs in Melbourne with his jazz piano trio and quintet, Nichaud Fitzgibbon qt, Chris Mcnulty ,Dave Graney’s Lurid yellow mist, and is accompanist to many of Melbourne’s best vocalists. He was artist in residence at WAAPA, Edith Cowan University, WA in 2009 lecturing in jazz and piano studies and his new quartet CD “Closer” is on Jazzhead records. Mark is currently back in Melbourne after being based in in Shanghai with the Theo Crocker Quintet at the famous Peace Hotel Jazz bar