2 ‘Rising Jazz Stars’ from Surrey picked to play Fort Langley fest in July

Award-winning musicians Rowan Cyr, left, and Bea Lagrisola are featured at the 2026 Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival, July 23-26. (Contributed photos)

Peace Arch News
Saturday, May 30, 2026
Tom Zillich

Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival names two Rising Jazz Stars every year — one in high school, one post-secondary — and both of the 2026 winners are from Surrey.

Bea Lagrisola, the post-secondary award recipient, and Rowan Cyr, high school winner, will perform on the July festival’s Youth & Emerging Artist Stage, and each earn $1,000 scholarships from Fort Langley Community Improvement Society and Langley Heritage Society.

As an added prize, Lagrisola will also get to perform with Grammy-nominated jazz singer and pianist Laila Biali at the festival’s closing concert, Sunday, July 26 at Chief Seapass Theatre.

Both of the Rising Jazz Stars are “outstanding young musicians recognized by the festival for their exceptional talent, dedication, and promise in jazz,” festival organizers say.

“Bea and Rowan exemplify the talent and creativity of the next generation of jazz, and we’re excited for audiences to experience their performances,” said Dave Quinn, artistic director.

Lagrisola, a bandleader, composer, arranger and performer known for experimental jazz, studies at the University of Toronto and has played alto saxophone with Vancouver Symphony School of Music Jazz Orchestra at Pyatt Hall, Vancouver Playhouse and other venues.

“It means a lot to me to be able to share my music in a space filled with such inspiring artists and enthusiastic listeners,” Lagrisola said of the Fort Langley festival.

Rowan, 17, a student at Elgin Park Secondary in South Surrey, is a singer-songwriter who began busking at just eight years old with a ukulele, saving enough money to purchase her first acoustic guitar.

“Opportunities like this are incredibly meaningful,” she said of the award. “I’m grateful to be recognized alongside such talented musicians, and I’m really looking forward to performing and sharing my work with a wider audience.”

Rowan will take the Youth & Emerging Artist Stage on Sunday, July 26 at 1 p.m., while Lagrisola will be perform there Saturday, July 25 at 2 p.m.

From July 23-26, the sounds of jazz, blues, soul and fusion will be heard at Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival, a non-profit organization “dedicated to presenting world-class jazz and arts.”

The festival, a hybrid event, offers two days of free music, art and culture on July 25 and 26 (between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.), alongside select ticketed performances over four days.

The 2026 festival kicks off with the popular Mardi Gras Strolling Parade, from 9 to 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 25, with the energy of a traditional New Orleans-style jazz band making their way from Fort Langley Farmers Market to Fort Langley Community Hall.

The hall stage will feature The Lawless Firm, Elise Boulanger and Band, Ard ‘N Saul, Russell Wallace and Snukwa7, Elisa Thorn, Curbside Collective, Philly Jo Jones Tribute Band, The Royal Sundowners and Every Song is a Little Adventure, A Joni Mitchell Project.

More details are posted on fortlangleyjazzfest.com.

—with files from Langley Advance-Times