New Assembly Celebrates Newark Jazz Legend Sarah Vaughan

Continuing its long tradition of honoring and celebrating the legacy of musical icon and Newark native Sarah Vaughan, Newport Festivals Foundation and The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) announce the jointly-presented biographical drama, Free Bird: The Early Life of Sarah Vaughan. This half-hour theatrical performance will premiere at Newark's public schools, and at free performances at community venues across Newark, beginning in January of 2020.

Newport Festivals Foundation co-founder and legendary jazz impresario George Wein says, "There never was--and probably never will be another--singer with a voice like that of Sarah Vaughan. Whether performing an a cappella rendition of 'The Lord's Prayer' or scatting a Charlie Parker tune, the magnificence of her sound was incomparable. We are proud to underwrite the Sarah Vaughan Jazz Assembly produced by our friends at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center."

Vice President of Arts Education, Alison Scott-Williams says that "when Newport Festivals Foundation generously offered NJPAC the funding to construct a series of community jazz assemblies, we thought it was important to tie those educational experiences to our city's historical context as an indelible landmark within the lineage of jazz... and who better to represent Newark than Sarah Vaughan?"

NJPAC President and CEO John Schreiber says, "Given her endless impact in the world of popular music, her enduring status as one of Newark's favorite daughters and NJPAC's association with her name and work through our annual staging of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, it seemed only right to commemorate 'The Divine One' in a way that will further her legacy for the next generation of New Jersey artists."

The relationship between NJPAC and Newport Festivals Foundation predates both institutions' founding, to John Schreiber's nearly two decades of work as mentee and producer for George Wein's Festival Productions, Inc. Today, Newport and NJPAC share a vital resource in acclaimed jazz musician and historian Christian McBride, who serves as both Newport Jazz Festival's Artistic Director and NJPAC's Jazz Advisor.

Actress and author Myxolydia Tyler's script for Free Bird, based on the acclaimed Elaine M. Hayes biography Queen of Bebop, recounts the early years of Sarah Vaughan's career as a 21-year-old vocalist striving for artistic independence and success. Performers for Free Bird have been selected primarily from alumni of NJPAC's Jazz for Teens program.

Several of the performances of Free Bird are scheduled to take place in locations traditionally associated with Vaughan's personal history, including her East Side High School alma mater (on January 17) and her childhood church, Mount Zion Baptist Church (on January 31). The January 12 performance at The Jewish Museum of New Jersey and the Mount Zion Church performance on January 31 are both free and open to the public.

NJPAC's Arts Education Programming regularly brings the inspiring, life-enhancing power of the performing arts to children across Greater Newark. The Arts Center's education initiatives reached more than 110,000 children and their families during the 2019 season. Schools often bring students to NJPAC's theaters to see live performances where, in many instances, those performances are the first live theatrical experiences for the children. In a bid to better serve these communities, NJPAC also regularly transports the arts directly to children at their schools through semester-long performing arts residencies and assemblies like the Free Bird project, facilitating the excitement of live performing arts with a much lower barrier to participation. Free Bird, built around the life and success of a Newark icon, fits squarely into the Arts Center's primary arts education initiatives by focusing on delivering experiences in jazz, poetry, hip hop, dance, filmmaking and theater to area children through performances, residencies, Saturday classes and summer camps.

Upon request, New Jersey Performing Arts Center is able to provide a current draft of Free Bird, coordinate an interview with the playwright; provide additional quotes from John Schreiber and George Wein or offer additional background on NJPAC's ongoing Arts Education programs.

Free Bird: The Early Life of Sarah Vaughan Performance Schedule

January 12:
Ahavas Shalom - The Jewish Museum of NJ
145 Broadway
Newark, N.J
*Free Public Performance

January 14:
South 17th St Elementary School
619 South 17th Street
Newark

January 14:
Central High School
218 18th Avenue
Newark

January 17:
East Side High School
238 Van Buren Street
Newark

January 31:
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
208 Broadway
Newark (Reception will follow performance)
*Free Public Performance

February 5:
Arts High School
550 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Newark

February 20:
Science Park High School
260 Norfolk Street
Newark

For more information, visit and a calendar of performances, visit njpac.org.

Don't Miss a New Jersey News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...