FirstWorks to Welcome Jazz Legend Wynton Marsalis

By: Oct. 15, 2015
Get Access To Every Broadway Story

Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click.




Existing user? Just click login.

FirstWorks announces an evening of swinging elegance and New York City sophistication to kick off their 2015-16 Artistic Icons Series, showcasing 15 of the most electrifying jazz soloists, ensemble players, and arrangers in the country. The legendary Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, America's preeminent large jazz ensemble, led by Wynton Marsalis, hailed as the most outstanding jazz musician of his generation, brings its Big Band Holidays program to Rhode Island for the first time on Friday, December 4, 7:30PM at The Vets in downtown Providence. Doors will open at 6:30PM for JumpStart festivities in the venue lobbies. Tickets are on sale now at 401-421-ARTS (2787) and at first-works.org.

In a swinging start to the holiday season, the JLCO with Wynton Marsalis will be joined by two extraordinary vocalists, special guests Denzal Sinclaire & Audrey Shakir, for a holiday-themed program of jazz masterworks, forward-facing arrangements, and original compositions. Sinclaire is ranked one of Canada's most popular jazz vocalists.

The musical party starts at 6:30PM in the lobbies and the aisles with swing dance displays from Boston's Lindy Bomb Squad, R.I. youth jazz ensembles, plus steaming cocoa and cookies to heat up the festivities. Premium ticket holders will have a chance to mingle with Marsalis at a dessert reception to be held after the concert.

From his New Orleans beginnings and fiery debut with legendary drummer Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, to his string of acclaimed albums and current role as Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis has amassed an unrivaled number of awards and accolades, including nine Grammys and the Pulitzer Prize for Music, the first ever awarded to a jazz artist.

"FirstWorks is thrilled to welcome Wynton Marsalis, one of today's foremost ambassadors of jazz, back to our stage for the first time in three years," said Kathleen Pletcher, Executive Artistic Director, FirstWorks. "Not only is Marsalis an iconic artist, he is also a passionate advocate for arts education, and is a U.N. Messenger of Peace and cultural ambassador through the U.S. State Department's CultureConnect program. The start of this year's Artistic Icons Series not only celebrates the holidays, but also marks FirstWorks' 4th year of working with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Music for Young People education program so that Rhode Island students can benefit from their ground-breaking work."

Tickets are on sale now for Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis' Big Band Holidays. Tickets start at $28 with a special offer on selected tickets purchased as Friends and Family four-packs. The offer provides a savings of 20% on $45, $55 and $65 four-pack tickets. Tickets are available online at first-works.org and at the Vets Box Office: 401-421-ARTS, Friends and Family four-pack code is JAZZ4.

About Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO), comprising 15 of the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players today, has performed in hundreds of cities on six continents for people of all ages and has been the Jazz at Lincoln Center resident orchestra since 1988. Featured in all aspects of Jazz at Lincoln Center's programming, this remarkably versatile orchestra performs and leads educational events in New York, across the U.S. and around the globe; in concert halls; dance venues; jazz clubs; public parks; and with symphony orchestras; ballet troupes; local students; and an ever-expanding roster of guest artists.

JLCO Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis has been appointed as a United Nations Messenger of Peace for his work touring around the world with the JLCO and bringing people together through swing. JLCO, the resident orchestra of Jazz at Lincoln Center since 1988, plays concerts at its home venue, New York's Frederick P. Rose Hall, and spends several months each year touring across the U.S. and around the globe. It performs traditional jazz repertoire as well as newly commissioned works by Marsalis, Benny Carter, Wycliffe Gordon, Ted Nash and other notable talents. In recent years it has performed with such renowned orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, Russian National Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra. JLCO's education and performance residencies have taken the ensemble as far afield as France, Prague, Brazil and Japan. JLCO has been featured on numerous television broadcasts and on 15 CDs, most recently Portrait in Seven Shades and Live in Cuba.

JLCO is integral to many of Jazz at Lincoln Center's youth-oriented offerings, including a family concert series, Jazz for Young People, which often features the JLCO. Other educational programs of Jazz at Lincoln Center, including the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival, reach more than 110,000 students, teachers and other audience members. Among the institution's honors is a prestigious Peabody Award, recognizing the weekly radio series Jazz at Lincoln Center Radio. For more information, visit jalc.org.



Videos