WHEN RAVEL MEETS GERSHWIN IN MANHATTAN to Play Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall
Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and soprano Angel Blue blend live music, narration, and archival visuals.
Carnegie Hall has announced an addition to the Hall's 2026–2027 season—When Ravel Meets Gershwin in Manhattan, a narrated concert exploring Maurice Ravel's 1928 American tour and his historic encounter with George Gershwin, presented on Thursday, January 21 at 7:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall.
Led by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and soprano/narrator Angel Blue, this production will blend live music, spoken narrative, and archival visuals to recreate a defining cultural moment in twentieth-century music history. From Carnegie Hall to the Cotton Club and thirty-nine concerts across the United States, the evening traces Ravel's discovery of America's rapidly evolving musical landscape and the profound impact jazz would have on his imagination and later compositions. The program features works by Ravel and Gershwin inspired by the musical dialogue between France and America during the Jazz Age, culminating in a special performance of Ravel's Boléro for two pianos, with Thibaudet performing both parts by way of the Steinway & Son's Spirio, a high-resolution player piano. Drawing on Ravel's own words, Angel Blue will weave music, narrative, and drama into a single, seamless experience, guiding audiences through one of the most extraordinary cultural encounters of the twentieth century.
Single tickets for this performance go on sale to the public on Monday, August 10 at 11:00 a.m.
Program Information
Thursday, January 21, 2027 at 7:30 PM
Zankel Hall
When Ravel Meets Gershwin in Manhattan
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Piano
Angel Blue, Soprano and Narrator
Created and written by Ramon de Oliveira Cezar
Jean-Romain Vesperini, Director
Thomas Ocampo, Video Designer
Charles Letourneau, Executive Producer
Laetitia Longuefosse, Associate Producer
Michele Smith, Archival Research
Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and soprano Angel Blue explore a defining moment of 20th-century music and culture: Maurice Ravel's 1928 American tour and his legendary encounter with George Gershwin. Blending live music, archival visuals, and dramatic storytelling drawn from Ravel's writings, this program journeys from Carnegie Hall and the Cotton Club to 39 concerts across the United States, showcasing a crossroads between classical music and American jazz in a rapidly evolving cultural landscape.
Ticket Information
Tickets for When Ravel Meets Gershwin in Manhattan are available to Carnegie Hall subscribers, beginning Monday, August 3 at 11:00 a.m.
Single tickets go on sale to the general public on Monday, August 10 at 11:00 a.m.
Tickets can be purchased at carnegiehall.org, by calling 212-247-7800, and at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 57th Street and Seventh Avenue. Artists, dates, and prices are subject to change.
