SFJAZZ Unveils Complete Lineup of Resident Artistic Directors for 25/26 Season

SFJAZZ has added McCraven to the 2025-26 Season of Resident Artistic Directors. The SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director program is a unique initiative that gives forward-thinking musicians from around the globe the opportunity to present new and unique works and collaborate with other world-class artists in exclusive performances. McCraven joins a remarkable 2025–26 Season class that also includes Michael League, Omar Sosa, Immanuel Wilkins, and Meshell Ndegeocello.

The 2025/26 Resident Artistic Directors (RAD) lineup is:

MICHAEL LEAGUE | JANUARY 29 – FEBRUARY 1, 2026

Easily one of the most visible, prolific, and versatile bandleaders and collaborators in modern music, the 5-time GRAMMY-winning Snarky Puppy mastermind and GroundUP Records founder Michael League showcases his varied musical endeavors.

OMAR SOSA | MARCH 5-8, 2026

Cuban piano giant Omar Sosa’s week as Resident Artistic Director touches on four distinct projects in settings ranging from big band to trio, with global collaborators representing an inclusive, wide-ranging set of musical disciplines.

IMMANUEL WILKINS | MARCH 26–28, 2026

The alto saxophonist, bandleader, and composer Immanuel Wilkins possesses a “lyrical extremity that goes back to Charlie Parker and forward to Ornette Coleman and beyond” (JazzTimes). He brings his latest projects to this week.

Meshell Ndegeocello | APRIL 30–MAY 2, 2026

A three-time GRAMMY winner, Meshell Ndegeocello is an uncompromising artist whose deliriously funky and soulful work is a powerful commentary on race, gender issues, and LGBTQ+ rights. Her week as Resident Artistic Director will be a Season highlight.

MAKAYA MCCRAVEN | MAY 21–24, 2026

Drummer, composer, and producer Makaya McCraven returns as part of the 2025-26 group of SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Directors with four nights of expansive, exhilarating music that will vary in concept and expression from performance to performance. 

Past SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Directors include Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Miguel Zenón, Regina Carter, John Santos, Esperanza Spalding, Zakir Hussain, Christian McBride, Vijay Iyer, Chucho Valdés, Terence Blanchard, Rosanne Cash and more. 

Notable world premieres have included pianist Moran's pairing of jazz and live skateboarding, guitarist Bill Frisell's adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved featuring actor Tim Robbins, drummer Harland's Voyager band paired with live video gamers, and an extensively revised presentation of trumpeter Terence Blanchard's fully-staged opera Champion: An Opera in Jazz.

San Francisco / Bay Area Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. URINETOWN (Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble)

16.8% of votes

2. THE DAY THE SKY TURNED ORANGE (San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company / Z Space)

9.2% of votes

3. SWEENEY TODD (Cabrillo Stage)

8.5% of votes

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