Billy Strayhorn News

Join Joe McCarthy and his New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band on their Pan American Nutcracker Suite Holiday Tour. Experience a unique Latin Jazz adaptation of Tchaikovsky's iconic ballet suite. Find tour dates and locations for a swinging holiday performance near you.

These latest reissues, which continue Craft's celebration of the iconic jazz label, include choice albums from Shelly Manne & His Friends, Ornette Coleman, Phineas Newborn, Jr., Leroy Vinnegar, Curtis Counce's You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce and Art Farmer's Portrait of Art Farmer, which is available today.

Conrad Tao presents Rachmaninoff Songbook with special guest Oliver Herbert, cello at 92nd Street Y. Explore the influence of Rachmaninoff on popular music and film, featuring works by Strayhorn, Sondheim, and more. Don't miss this unique perspective on the composer's legacy.

The  44-track set features a cross-section of his most beloved songs and sought-after rarities. From the swinging “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and ebullient “Come Fly With Me” to the breathtaking “Moonlight in Vermont” and torch song “Only The Lonely,” the set also includes previously unreleased tracks culled from the Capitol vaults.

A dazzling evening of pure vocal, instrumental, and theatrical bliss occurred on the evening of October 21,2023 when the renowned Broadway veteran and entertainer Brian Stokes Mitchell wowed the crowd at the Music Center at Strathmore.  This two -time Tony Award winning talent showcased versatility to the max and he delivered an upbeat spirit of positive energy and goodwill that made his impeccable talent even more appealing. (His hope was to make the audience feel better by the end of the concert—then they had felt when they had come in, --- and this hope was fulfilled).

Today, we return to The Days Of Cabaret Gratitude with THE SIBLING SET.

Mary Shelley's shocking classic novel, Frankenstein, receives new life at Cleveland Play House. A haunting and highly theatrical adaptation of the classic horror story. Directed by Michael Barakiva, the production features Josh Bates, Madeline Calais, Ellen Grace Diehl, Gavin Michaels, and Kayodè Soyemi.

The Music Institute of Chicago presents its annual performance Duke It Out! Nutcracker, featuring the classical (Tchaikovsky) and jazz (Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn) versions of the holiday favorite in a music and dance performance Saturday, December 9 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue in downtown Evanston.

The complete cast has been set for the world premiere of Sugar Hill: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker. See who is starring and learn how to purchase tickets.

These latest reissues, which continue Craft's celebration of the iconic jazz label, include choice albums from Shelly Manne & His Friends, Ornette Coleman, Phineas Newborn, Jr., Art Farmer, Leroy Vinnegar and Curtis Counce, whose You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce is available now.

The Acting Company will present their annual Louanna O. Carlin & John MacDonald Reading Series, featuring a trio of unique Shakespeare interpretations. Get all the details about this exciting event in New York City.

Vocalist/lyricist/composer Joan Watson-Jones sings with conviction, swings with precision and turns a lyric into a cool, compelling musical story. Hear her melodious narratives at The Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge Street in Cambridge, on Saturday, October 21, at 4:30 pm.

'Experience the true-life story of Stormé DeLarverie, the icon of the Stonewall Rebellion, in Carolyn M. Brown's play STORMÉ. Join us for a staged reading at Playwrights Horizon Downtown in honor of National LGBTQ+ History Month. Don't miss this timely and important reminder of LGBTQ+ resilience and contributions throughout history.'

The new biomusical elevates one of popular music's cult figures to the forefront with wondrous results. There's a popular witticism that the musical biopic was almost killed by Walk Hard, which skewered each and every convention of the genre so thoroughly that everything since has just seemed like a rehash of Walk Hard.

The Washington Ballet will open its 2023-24 season with an electrifying program of dance at the Warner Theatre, October 26-29 in conjunction with D.C.’s city-wide Shakespeare Everywhere Festival. Learn more about the upcoming performance here!

From October 5–21, Boston Symphony Orchestra Music Director Andris Nelsons, now in his 10th year, leads the orchestra in 10 exciting concerts featuring both classical favorites and resonant contemporary compositions.

American Roots Music thrives on growing new branches from its grand traditions, and the band Mr Sun, and its individual members, have long been actively re-shaping the acoustic musical landscape. For Mr Sun’s tenth anniversary, this celebrated company of virtuoso string players has reinterpreted the legendary Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker Suite.

The world premiere jazz musical BILLY STRAYHORN: SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR is on stage September 19 to October 11 at the O’Reilly Theater in Downtown Pittsburgh. Check out all new photos here!

The World Premiere of SUGAR HILL: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker, the jazz-steeped reimagining of The Nutcracker based on the genre-defying collaboration of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, will debut at New York City Center.

Available on 4LP, 2CD, and digital formats, the 44-track collection features a cross-section of Sinatra’s most beloved songs and sought-after rarities. From the swinging “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and ebullient “Come Fly With Me” to the breathtaking “Moonlight in Vermont” and torch song “Only The Lonely,” the set also includes unreleased tracks.