George Wein News

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.

Hot House Magazine, in partnership with Jazzmobile, is excited to announce the 6th New York City Readers Jazz Awards on Sunday, November 24th at New York City's famed Birdland Jazz Club, located at 315 West 44th Street. This greatly anticipated event will celebrate the vitality of the jazz art form by honoring the very finest musicians that this city has to offer.  The public has voted and finalists are announced for each category below. On November 24th, one winner will be announced for each category and attendees will get the chance to witness rare musical collaborations between award winners, and presentations from some of the most important names in the industry.

Hot House Magazine, in partnership with Jazzmobile is excited to announce the 6th New York City Readers Jazz Awards on Sunday, November 24th at New York City's famed Birdland Jazz Club, located at 315 West 44th Street.

Three-time Grammy Award winner and Benin-born singer Angélique Kidjo brings her intoxicating blend of West African music, American R&B, jazz, and funk to her Perspectives series throughout Carnegie Hall's 2019a?"2020 season. The highly anticipated residency takes audiences on a journey of African music and culture throughout the world including three concerts curated by Kidjo and one spectacular program featuring her as a performer.

Hot House Magazine, in partnership with Jazzmobile is excited to announce the 6th New York City Readers Jazz Awards on Sunday, November 24th at 4pm at New York City's famed Birdland Jazz Club, located at 315 West 44th Street. This greatly anticipated event will celebrate the vitality of the jazz art form by allowing fans to vote for their favorite jazz artists in New York City! Nominations are open through September, and voting begins and continues through October. This exciting period culminates on November 24th, where the winners of each category will be officially announced.

Winner of six Grammy and three Latin Grammy Awards, Cuban pianist, composer and arranger, Chucho Valdés, is the most influential figure in modern Afro-Cuban jazz.  Now, he will be performing tracks from his 2018 release Jazz Batá 2, inspired by his seminal record Jazz Batá, at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, October 19 at 8pm. 

Camille Thurman, the talented composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist, continues to make waves as one of the most exciting figures in the world of jazz with new performance dates in the U.S. and abroad. The triple-threat artist embarks on her second exciting season as a saxophonist with the world-renowned Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. The 2019-2020 season kicks off with a three-night stand, which started September 12, and runs through September 14, featuring the music of the 'South African Songbook: Celebrating 25 Years of Democracy' at its home base at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater in New York City.

City Parks Foundation's SummerStage is proud to announce the 27th Anniversary celebration of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. In the world of modern music, few figures loom as large or cast as long a shadow as saxophonist Charlie 'Bird' Parker, celebrated as a bebop pioneer and for bringing jazz into the modern era.

The ASCAP Foundation, led by President Paul Williams, and Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc., led by Founder & Chairman George Wein, continue their joint effort to promote emerging jazz talent for the fourth consecutive year.

The ASCAP Foundation, led by President Paul Williams, and Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc., led by Founder & Chairman George Wein, continue their joint effort to promote emerging jazz talent for the fourth consecutive year.

From Ella Fitzgerald's rapid fire scats, Sarah Vaughan's divine voice, Billie Holiday's fine and mellow artistry and Betty Carter's bebop, the Newport Jazz Festival has been Ground Zero for jazz vocalists for six decades. And, this year's 65thedition is no exception.

Trinity Rep announces that Michelle Cruz will join the leadership team as the Director of Community Engagement beginning in July after a national search with over 70 applicants. Cruz comes to Trinity Rep with extensive experience working with non-profits, the arts, and the community in and around Rhode Island. The Director of Community Engagement is responsible for establishing long-term partnerships between the theater and community stakeholders, and will play a critical role in the theater's artistic, educational, and community-centered initiatives.

George Wein is known the world over as producer and co-founder of the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, but it is playing the piano that first stole his heart nearly nine decades ago. Newport Festivals Foundation (NFF) will present George Wein in One More Once, a free Bridgefest concert in celebration of his life as a musician and his love for Newport, on Thursday, August 1, 6:30 pm, on the Quad Stage at Fort Adams State Park.

Trinity Repertory Company announced today that the Indigo Girls will be honored with the 2019 Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts in recognition of their artistic achievements and advocacy at the theater's 23rd annual Pell Awards Gala on Monday, June 3, 2019 at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence, RI. Tickets and more information can be found at TrinityRep.com/pell.

Don't miss the opportunity to get some of the best seats in the house for one of Newport's most popular summer events featuring Jon Batiste & Friends at the Friday evening concert of the Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Investment Managers. The concert takes place August 2 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino, 194 Bellevue Avenue. The cocktail party begins at 6:30 pm, followed by the concert at 8:00 pm.

Don't miss the opportunity to get some of the best seats in the house for one of Newport's most popular summer events featuring Jon Batiste and Friends at the Friday evening concert of the Newport Jazz Festival® presented by Natixis Investment Managers.

Trinity Repertory Company announced today that three area residents will be honored at its 2019 Pell Awards Gala on Monday, June 3, 2019 in Providence. Storyteller Valerie Tutson will receive the Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts. Central Falls High School teacher Deloris Davis Grant will receive the Charles Sullivan Award for Distinguished Service in the Arts. The Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts will go to Rosanne Somerson, President of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Additional honorees will be announced at a later date.

From March 9-April 15, 2019, Carnegie Hall presents Migrations: The Making of America, a citywide festival that traces the journeys of people from different origins and backgrounds who helped to shape and influence the evolution of American culture. The five-week festival with more than 100 events will celebrate the many contributions-cultural, social, economic, and political-of the people who helped to build America's culture with musical programming at Carnegie Hall and public programming, performances, exhibitions, and events at more than 70 leading cultural and academic institutions across New York City and beyond.

Carnegie Hall today announced that in recognition of a gift of $1 million from legendary jazz producer George Wein and honoring his incredible legacy presenting leading jazz artists at the Hall, The Shape of Jazz concert series will be formally named the Joyce and George T. Wein Shape of Jazz series. The series kicks off this Saturday, November 10, at 9:00 p.m. at a sold-out Zankel Hall performance by Cuban-born drummer, composer, bandleader, and 2011 MacArthur "Genius" Fellow Dafnis Prieto featuring his 17-piece orchestra.

City Parks Foundation's SummerStage is proud to announce the 26th Anniversary celebration of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. The free festival is New York City's annual salute to the legendary late saxophonist, featuring storied veteran players as well as young jazz musicians who continue to shape and drive the art form. This year's festival runs August 22 through August 26 at parks and venues around Manhattan and will include free concerts, panel discussions, and workshops - focused in Harlem where Parker worked and in the East Village where Parker lived.