Kurt Elling News

As part of the string quartet's 20th anniversary season, ETHEL returns to BAM with Circus: Wandering City, a multimedia musical journey into the history of the iconic Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus that explores and honors the complex relationship between circus troupes, their performers, and the audiences they inspired. 

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces the return of the legendary Art Garfunkel, multi-platinum singer/songwriter Macy Gray, Grammy-nominated artist Anita Wilson, and more. The following shows go on sale to the public on Thursday, October 18 at noon.All tickets will be available at citywinery.com/chicago.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts launches its 2018-2019 Chamber Series with the acclaimed Escher String Quartet on November 1, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. in Samueli Theater. Since its founding in 2005, the quartet has quickly garnered the reputation as one of the finest young string ensembles performing today. Their instrumental interplay, which combines technical precision with warmth and vitality, has reaped accolades nationally and abroad, and elicited invitations from Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman to be the quartet-in-residence at their respective summer festivals. In a review, The Strad wrote, "…a level of individual technical precision and a collective musical purpose that is endlessly compelling … Sheer brilliance." Quartet members include Adam Barnett-Hart and Danbi Um, violins; Pierre Lapointe, viola; and Brook Speltz, cello.

Recognized by the world not only for their bold-face names, but especially by their superb talents, New Jersey Performing Arts Center's seventh annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival (November 4-18) is packed with performances by today's most listened-to luminaries on the jazz scene. NJPAC Jazz Advisor, six-time Grammy winner Christian McBride says, 'I'm beyond excited to announce the seventh annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival at NJPAC. It's gonna be a good one, baby. There's something very, very special about jazz vocalists, and we're committed to making sure the legacy of jazz vocals is alive and thriving. This year we'll present the world's finest singers, from Dianne Reeves and Gregory Porter to Cecile McLorin Salvant and Lalah Hathaway, and will continue to search for the next greats through the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition -- the SASSY Awards -- which is always a huge hit.'

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces neo-soul/R&B innovator Musiq Soulchild, jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin (“Don't Worry, Be Happy”) and more. The following shows go on sale to the public on Thursday, October 4 at noon.All tickets will be available at citywinery.com/chicago.

The Chicago Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Jeff Lindberg, kicks off the company's 40th anniversary season with A CJO Salute to Nancy Wilson, Saturday, October 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago's Fine Arts Building. Single tickets are $35 (balcony) and $45 (floor). Or, save with a CJO 2018-19 season package - the Nancy Wilson tribute concert, CJO's holiday ELLAbration on December 21 and a major concert event on May 18, 2019 celebrating 40 years of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, all at the Studebaker - for just $85 (balcony) or $115 (floor). Single tickets and season packages are on sale now at chicagojazzorchestra.org.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts presents the Ahmad Jamal Quartet for one performance only on October 19 at 8:00pm. The extraordinary night of music features jazz legend and celebrated pianist-composer Ahmad Jamal who returns to the center with his quartet which includes James Cammack, bass; Herlin Riley, drums; and Manolo Badrena, percussion.

City Winery Chicago has announced that Katharine McPhee will perform on Monday, November 5th. City Winery also announced many other shows, including its annual 10,000 Maniacs Valentine's run. The following shows go on sale to the public on Thursday, September 27 at noon. All tickets will be available at citywinery.com/chicago.

Nicole Cabell and Alyson Cambridge, celebrated American sopranos and close friends, record together for the first time on 'Sisters in Song,' a new Cedille Records album of opera duets and specially commissioned duet arrangements of classical songs, African-American spirituals, and a folk tune, accompanied by the Lake Forest Symphony conducted by Vladimir Kulenovic.

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces a special holiday show with “American Idol” winner Kris Allen and more. The following shows go on sale to the public on Thursday, September 20 at noon. All tickets will be available at citywinery.com/chicago.

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces Canadian rocker Randy Bachman ('You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet”), a live recording of the hilarious Girls Gotta Eat podcast and more. The following shows go on sale to the public on Thursday, September 13 at noon. All tickets will be available at citywinery.com/chicago.

There are some cabaret shows that you never want to end and you would stay in your seat for the 2nd (or if there was), third show. Clint Holmes, was introduced by Broadway at Birdland host Jim Caruso last night as one of the best vocalists in the world and Clint's performance on the stage of Birdland, before a star studded audience of music lovers demonstrated how true that intro was.

Tune in to your local PBS station tonight, August 10th, at 10 PM ET to catch Great Performances: Chicago Voices, the gala held at Chicago's Lyric Opera in 2017. The evening was hosted by Renee Fleming who will be joined on stage by Carousel co-star Jessie Mueller, Greatest Showman star Michelle Williams and more!

Violinist Joseph Lin will lead the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival Chamber Ensemble in a performance of four of Bach's Brandenburg concertos at 7:30pm on Sunday, August 26 at the Otesaga Resort Hotel ballroom.

A star-studded array of vocal talent with deep ties to Chicago gathers on stage at Lyric Opera to pay tribute to the city's wide-reaching influence across blues, jazz, rock, folk, hip-hop, gospel, opera and classical music in Great Performances: Chicago Voices, premiering nationwide Friday, August 10 at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and streaming the following day on pbs.org/gperf and PBS apps. Hosted by four-time Grammy-winning soprano Renée Fleming, the multi-genre concert special features performances by Fleming, Tony-winner Jessie Mueller (Waitress, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Grammy-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco, three-time Grammy-winning folk legend John Prine, Grammy-winning pop and gospel singer Michelle Williams (Destiny's Child), Grammy-winning jazz singer Kurt Elling and many more in a celebration of Chicago's rich and diverse vocal music legacy.

Stu Mindeman, pianist and composer, is set to release his new album titled Woven Threads (Sunnyside Records) on September 14, 2018. The eight track album is a remarkable journey through themes of distant memories, self re-discovery, and the connection between North and South American cultures. Woven Threads is inspired by Stu's recent trips to Chile reconnecting him to his childhood memories of the country's rich culture, vibrant people, and diverse musical landscape. The album also features an impressive array of talents including Francesca Ancarola, Ana Tijoux, Kurt Elling, Miguel Zenón, and Marquis Hill.

Virtuosic pianists Soyeon Kate Lee and Ran Dank will perform works for four-hands and solo piano at the Otesaga Resort Hotel ballroom on Sunday, August 12 at 7:30pm as part of the 20th anniversary season of the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival.

World-renowned jazz guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli will perform at the Otesaga Resort Hotel ballroom on Sunday, August 5 at 7:30pm as part of the 20th anniversary season of the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival.

London-based jazz and neo-soul artist Alba Plano has shared her latest single 'I Hope' via Sunrise, taken from her upcoming EP White Lotus, and follows her debut single 'Out There'. For the last two years, Plano has fronted Forever Amy, a project featuring Amy Winehouse's original band, touring and performing in large venues throughout Europe and the UK. She has performed backing vocals for Ninja Tune's Jordan Rakei and has collaborated with a host of accomplished musicians such as Dale Davis (bass player and musical director for Amy Winehouse, Tina Turner and Freak Power), Jim Hunt (sax for Richard Ashcroft, Brand New Heavies, Noel Gallagher, Jamiroquai) Troy Miller (drummer and producer for Laura Mvula, Becca Stevens, Jamie Cullum) and with a previous project opened for Elio e le Storie Tese at Shepherds Bush Empire.

String quartet ETHEL, known for its enlivened playing and consistently groundbreaking redefinition of concert music, announces their landmark 20th anniversary season. Described as “an adventurous quartet with a rock band's zest” by The New York Times and deemed “a genre unto itself” by the Village Voice, ETHEL continues to set the standard for contemporary concert music. Celebrations begin with a June 20th benefit gala hosted by New Sound's John Schaefer, honoring ETHEL as well as fellow new music champions: Bang on a Can founders Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe. ETHEL's 2018-19 season offers the New York premiere of Circus: Wandering City at the 2018 BAM Next Wave Festival, along with continued touring of the group's signature works: The River and Documerica. (Please scroll below for more details and complete 2018-19 schedule of events.)