FREE HOLIDAY CONCERT: THE NEW SCHOOL STUDIO ORCHESTRA WISHES YOU A SWINGING HOLIDAY at John L. Tishman Auditorium

Featuring Ella Fitzgerald’s classic Christmas albums and Jazz at Lincoln Center holiday arrangements, with special guest vocalist Brianna Thomas

New York, NY – December 3, 2025 – The New School Studio Orchestra invites audiences to usher in the season with “The New School Studio Orchestra Wishes You A Swinging Holiday,” a free, joy-filled concert on Thursday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m. at John L. Tishman Auditorium at The New School, 63 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second annual NSSO Holiday Swing features music from Ella Fitzgerald’s two beloved Christmas albums, capturing the swing and sparkle of the season, alongside arrangements from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s holiday repertoire, performed by the critically acclaimed The New School Studio Orchestra. Special guest Brianna Thomas, lauded vocalist and alum of The New School’s School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, joins the ensemble for this festive evening. 

The New York Times has described the orchestra as playing with “rattling intensity," adding, "The sound seemed to shudder like a pot about to blow its lid,” and has said of the evening’s guest vocalist, “Ms. Thomas has a strong voice and a big range, descended from Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter and routed through Dianne Reeves, with clarity and confidence and a little dirt.” 

Free tickets are available with registration while seats last at: https://event.newschool.edu/aholidaycelebrationwithnsso.

The New School Studio Orchestra (NSSO) is the College of Performing Arts’ large ensemble bringing together students from the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and Mannes School of Music to perform across jazz, soul, pop, and improvised music. Conducted by Keller Coker, the orchestra often collaborates with guest artists and has recently been recognized for ambitious, large-scale projects, including the thrilling U.S. premiere of Carla Bley’s Escalator Over the Hill, which drew critical praise for the ensemble’s intensity, artistry, and exceptional student performances. The 2025–2026 NSSO season includes 1930s Radio Night, the Grammy-winning Fandango at the Wall with Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Octet, a Blue Note Records All Stars Evening, and Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – A Motown Tribute, alongside the second annual NSSO Holiday Swing.

EVENT DETAILS

• Title: The New School Studio Orchestra Wishes You A Swinging Holiday

• Ensemble: The New School Studio Orchestra

• Special Guest: Brianna Thomas, vocalist

• Date/Time: Thursday, December 11, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.

• Location: John L. Tishman Auditorium, The New School, 63 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003

• Tickets: Free with registration while seats last

• Registration: https://event.newschool.edu/aholidaycelebrationwithnsso

MEDIA CONTACT: Aleba Gartner
Aleba & Co.

www.alebaco.com