Tammy McCann Jazz Christmas to Open at Nichols Concert Hall

As its holiday celebration in the 2026–27 Nichols Concert Hall Presents season, the Music Institute of Chicago welcomes back Artist in Residence and acclaimed jazz vocalist Tammy McCann for “Tammy McCann Jazz Christmas.”

The concert takes place Saturday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston.

Named the Chicago Tribune's 2020 Person of the Year in Jazz, Tammy McCann has a powerful, sultry, and emotionally charged voice that paints pictures and tells stories by merging classical vocal technique and gospel aesthetic with jazz to create a sound that is completely her own. She has performed with such luminaries as Chicago's own Ramsey Lewis and NEA Jazz Master Von Freeman, John Clayton, Branford Marsalis, Joe Locke, Charles McPherson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Carmen Bradford, and she toured as a “Raelette” with the great Ray Charles. McCann has thrilled audiences in festivals and clubs worldwide, from Thailand to Greece, as well as the nation's premier concert and jazz venues, including Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland, The Blue Note, Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, and Chicago's Jazz Showcase.

This spirited performance welcomes the holiday season, as McCann assembles an all-star ensemble to combine jazz and rhythm and blues for holiday favorites plus a few surprises. Among musicians joining McCann is jazz trumpeter Derrick Gardner, director of Jazz Studies at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music and son of famed jazz musician Burgess Gardner.

Derrick Gardner, courtesy of the artist. “Tammy McCann Jazz Christmas” takes place Saturday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston.