12:00: Previewing the 2026 Rochester International Jazz Festival
1:00: Special rebroadcast: Would 50-year mortgages make housing more affordable?
It's Jazz Fest season! The Route's Hannah Maier is in the host chair this hour for a preview of the 2026 Rochester International Jazz Festival. This year's event runs June 19 through June 27 and includes more than 300 concerts performed by more than 1,77 artists. We hear from some of those artists this hour, as they discuss what it's like to perform in Rochester, the state of the music industry, and how different societal and technological forces are changing their business. We also dive into the music itself. Our guests:
- Marc Iacona, executive producer and director of the Rochester International Jazz Festival
- John Nugent, producer and artistic director of the Rochester International Jazz Festival
- Joey Stempien, composer and bandleader of the Joey Stempien Big Band
- Joe Farnsworth, jazz drummer
Then in our second hour, we conclude this week's look at housing in Rochester with a special rebroadcast about an idea for lowering the cost of homes. The Trump administration explored the possibility of 50-year mortgages as a way of lowering home costs for Americans. Most industry professionals think it's a bad idea. The administration is also pursuing other possibilities to affect the cost for buyers. We talk about how these proposals might work, and we take an updated look at the regional housing market. Our guests:
- Lanie Bittner, associate real estate broker with RE/MAX Plus
- Jason Mancuso, real estate salesperson with the Anthony Butera Team at Keller Williams Realty
- Mark Siwiec, broker and owner of Elysian Homes by Mark Siwiec and Associates
"Connections" is livestreamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.
