Grammy Winner Bilal Opens The Carpenter Center’s 2025–2026 Season
September 12–13 performances mark the only Southern California dates for the acclaimed singer-songwriter this fall.
By: A.A. Cristi Aug. 13, 2025
The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center at California State University, Long Beach will launch its 2025–2026 Season with Grammy Award-winning vocalist, songwriter, and producer Bilal, performing Friday, September 12, and Saturday, September 13 at 8 p.m. Presented as part of the Carpenter Center’s new Spotlight Sessions, these intimate concerts seat audiences directly on stage, never more than 40 feet from the artist.
A classically trained vocalist with roots in opera and jazz, Bilal emerged from Philadelphia’s music scene as the youngest member of the influential Soulquarians collective alongside D’Angelo, Questlove, Common, and Mos Def. His collaborations span Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Robert Glasper, and Flying Lotus. This fall’s concerts follow his 2024 releases Bilal: Live at Glasshaus—featuring Questlove and Common—and Adjust Brightness, his first new studio album in over a decade.
These performances are Bilal’s only Southern California appearances before heading to a series of European jazz festivals.
Tickets are $48.75–$58.75 and available at carpenterarts.org or by calling 562.985.7000. Summer hours are Tuesday–Thursday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
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