Amy K. Bormet, photo by Nicole Crowder.

In just its second year, the Washington Women in Jazz Festival has already grown by leaps and bounds. The festival, which kicks off Wednesday, is the brainchild of Amy K. Bormet, one of the area’s top pianists. One of Bormet’s chief goals for this year’s event was to increase its accessibility, so what started in 2011 as a simple series of shows at Twins Jazz is now a week-long event, venues for which not only include clubs, but also community spaces like Bloombars and the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum.

“We are in every quadrant, and beautiful An Die Musik in Baltimore,” said Bormet in a recent interview with DCist. “I also wanted to move to places that were all ages, like the Smithsonian, and at different times so that people could check out whatever they are into.”

There is not a single weak night of music during the festival, starting with Wednesday’s concert at the Atlas that features ace drummer Allison Miller. Other highlights include vocalist Jessica Boykin-Settles‘ tribute to the late Abbey Lincoln; drummer Lydia Lewis, whose trio will perform with tap dancers Melissa Frakman and Quynn Johnson; and a concert by Shannon Gunn and the Bullettes, an all-female big band. While there will be a vocal showcase on Sunday at The Hamilton, Bormet also wanted to make sure that her programming recognized female instrumentalists, too.

“Too many ‘Women in Jazz’ festivals are singers singing standards with an all-male backing band. Who does that help?,” Bormet asked. “I sing, I love singers more than anything, but I’m trying to get more women with instruments on the stage to say ‘we are here, and we are an integral part of the jazz scene.'”

Bormet also added the festival’s Young Artist contest this year, so women under 21 years old can apply to compete and network with other female musicians. Bormet hopes this will give young female artists visible role models, while breaking down barriers and stereotypes that often exist within the jazz community. The closing night of the festival will be at HR-57, where the Young Artist finalists will perform prior to an open jam session.

The Washington Women in Jazz has also become a family affair for Bormet. She describes her husband, guitarist Matt Dievendorf, as “the Robin to my WWJF Batman,” and he is responsible for much of the web and flyer design for the festival. Last year, Bormet relied heavily on word-of-mouth to promote the event. This year, she and her team, which also includes a pair of interns, are not leaving anything to chance. To that end, the festival has an active social media presence on Facebook and Twitter.

“If you haven’t heard about us you probably don’t go on the internet,” Bormet said. “Even my grandma is keeping up with the festival on Facebook, so we are spending more time on publicity and sharing the process with the community.”

The Washington Women in Jazz Festival runs from March 21-27. The full schedule and ticket information is available here.