Freshly Awarded 3x Grammy Winner Sullivan Fortner Bookends The 2026 Gilmore International Piano Festival, April 30-may 10

Acclaimed pianist-composer Sullivan Fortner, winner of the 2026 Gilmore Bell Jazz Artist Award, has won the GRAMMY Award for ‘Best Jazz Instrumental Album’ for Southern Nights at the 68th GRAMMY Awards on February 1, 2026. Released on February 14, 2025, via Artwork Records, Southern Nights showcases Fortner’s artistry at its peak, in the company of the great

Peter Washington

bass
b.1964

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data-original-title=”” title=””>Peter Washington on bass and

Marcus Gilmore

drums
b.1986

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data-original-title=”” title=””>Marcus Gilmore on drums. This award represents Fortner’s third career GRAMMY win and his fifth nomination.

Quote from Sullivan Fortner

“What an amazing surprise this is,” he reflected. “Thank you all so much. All praise and glory first go to God for the gift of music, the gift of creating it, and the gift of being able to share it with people. To Marcus Gilmore and Peter Washington, you are amazing. Thank you so very, very much. I’m so honored to share this award with you. To the entire jazz community, both listeners and performers at large, thank you all for being an inspiration and a support. Let’s continue in the lineage and in the spirit of our masters, and let’s continue to be stewards of this music.”

Fortner is the recipient of The Gilmore’s inaugural 2026 Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award, the largest single gift ever dedicated solely to a jazz artist. Fortner received $300,000 in support of his musical and career goals over the next four years. Mirroring the internationally renowned Gilmore Artist Awards for classical pianists, the Larry J. Bell Jazz Artists Awards provide some of the most generous financial support given in the musical arts. The Jazz Awards program was established in 2022 with an $8.8 million gift to The Gilmore’s endowment and is named for Kalamazoo businessman Larry J. Bell who founded Bell’s Brewery in 1985. Both the Bell Artist and Bell Young Artist Awards are presented every four years.

Sullivan Fortner will perform two programs during the 2026 Gilmore Piano Festival, April 30–May 10, 2026, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He will kickstart the Festival on April 30, 2026, aka International Jazz Day with an intimate solo performance on acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3 organ, and more. Closing the Festival on May 10, 2026, Fortner will bring his trio, as well as sensational guests,