Duke Ellington Center And The American Tap Dance Foundation To Present SUCH SWEET THUNDER At Symphony Space

The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts, in association with The American Tap Dance Foundation, will present Such Sweet Thunder on Friday, December 12 at 7:00 PM at Symphony Space’s Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York, NY). Directed by Mercedes Ellington and Tony Waag, this special event celebrates the enduring legacy of Duke Ellington through a fusion of live jazz, dance, and theatrical artistry.

Musical Director Eli Yamin will lead The Duke Ellington Center Big Band, a powerhouse 15-piece ensemble, joined by an acclaimed lineup of performers including Mark Mindek, AC Lincoln, Karen Callaway Williams, DeWitt Fleming Jr., Antoinette Montague, Max Pollak, Valerie Levine, Miles Purinton, Karyn Tomczak & the Precision Dancers, and the Big Apple Ballroom Studio Dancers. Together, they will bring Ellington’s distinctive sound and spirit to vivid life.

Audiences will experience the rarely performed complete suite of Such Sweet Thunder—Ellington’s twelve-part jazz masterpiece inspired by the works of William Shakespeare and co-composed with Billy Strayhorn in just three weeks. The piece transforms Shakespeare’s drama, wit, and poetry into the language of bold, swinging jazz.

This vibrant production—directed by Duke Ellington’s granddaughter, Mercedes Ellington, alongside Tony Waag, Founding Director of the American Tap Dance Foundation—will offer a dazzling evening of rhythm, elegance, and celebration, uniting jazz and dance in tribute to one of America’s most influential musical figures.

About Duke Ellington

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (1899–1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader, and one of the most significant figures in 20th-century music. Over more than five decades, he composed thousands of works, pioneered big-band jazz, and shaped the sound of American music. Ellington received the President’s Gold Medal (1966), the Medal of Freedom (1969), the French Legion of Honor (1973), 13 Grammy Awards, and a posthumous Pulitzer Prize. Nearly 125 years after his birth, his influence continues to resonate worldwide.

About the Presenters

The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts (DECFA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Duke Ellington’s legacy through scholarship, education, performance, and community outreach.