Columbus Jazz Orchestra Will Present Season Finale with Paul Loren in May

The Columbus Jazz Orchestra will wrap up their 2025-2026 season with guest artist Paul Loren for The Loren Lounge, May 1–3. Led by Bandleader Byron Stripling, the orchestra will perform three concerts at the Southern Theatre. The program will take audiences on a genre-hopping, time-traveling set featuring music by Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Ray Charles and more.

“We have had a great season at CJO, and what better way to wrap it up than with Paul Loren,” said Katy Coy, CJO's CEO. “This concert celebrates the golden age of jazz and pop with a fresh, contemporary voice, and we're thrilled to share that experience with our audiences.”

Leading a new generation of soulful crooners, Paul Loren is a singer, songwriter, producer, and consummate entertainer. A native New Yorker raised on soul, classic pop, and the Great American Songbook, he blends early R&B, jazz, and Brill Building pop with a timeless sensibility, drawing inspiration from artists like Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and Billy Joel. Loren has headlined his own tour, performed with acts including The Temptations and Taylor Hicks, and sold out Joe's Pub in NYC multiple times, while also appearing at major events with Jennifer Lopez, Paul Shaffer, and Queen Latifah. His appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon introduced him to millions, alongside national TV and radio features and a recording at historic Sun Studio in Memphis. His singles “All By Myself” and “I Know A Place” earned strong support and acclaim, and his pandemic-era release “We'll Be Together Again” benefited COVID-19 relief, while his livestream series “The Leisure Lounge” reached thousands worldwide.

The Loren Lounge:

• Friday, May 1, 2026 | 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday, May 2, 2026 | 7:00 p.m.
• Sunday, May 3, 2026 | 3:00 p.m. (opening act by students from the Columbus Youth Jazz Program will begin at 2 p.m.)