Board Of Trustees
Randall Kline - Founder & Trustee Emeritus
Randall Kline, started SFJAZZ (then called Jazz in the City) in 1983 and served as both Executive Director and Artistic Director for the organization’s first 25 years. Over that 25-year period, Kline led SFJAZZ’s growth from a small seasonal community festival to the realization of the SFJAZZ Center, a cultural center in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley Arts District.
The SFJAZZ Center opened in January 2013 and under Kline’s artistic leadership programming has expanded significantly. SFJAZZ presents nearly 400 concerts a year to more than 180,000 fans, and with a Membership program that has grown more than 3-fold since opening -- to nearly 20,000 active donors.
The SFJAZZ Collective, initiated by Kline, is commissioned each year to write a new composition and a new arrangement of one of jazz’ modern masters. They have written over 150 original compositions and 100 new arrangements over 20 years.
Kline has served on the boards of several organizations including: the Board of Governors of the University of California Humanities Research Institute, Chamber Music America, Western Jazz Presenters Network, San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau (now San Francisco Travel), the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS, San Francisco Chapter) and the Jazz Alliance International.
Mr. Kline was the recipient of first Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award in 2015, presented by Jazz Connect. He has also received recognition from the Museum of the African Diaspora of San Francisco (2014 Patron of Culture), Western Arts Alliance (2013 Leadership Award), Jazz Journalists Association (2013 Jazz Hero), San Francisco Bay Area Religious Announcers Guild (2004), and California Arts Council (2001). He holds a B.A. in Business Administration from St. Mary’s College of California and was a music performance major at San Francisco State University. Kline was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from University of San Francisco.