Mercedes Ellington News

The American Tap Dance Foundation (ATDF) will be honored on Thursday, July 11 at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

The Kennedy Center’s season-long celebration of Ellington 125 culminates this month, leading up to what would have been the American icon and Washington, D.C. native’s 125th birthday on April 29. See programming!

A celebration of the 125th birthday of jazz great Duke Ellington will take place Monday, May 6 at Symphony Space, Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street in NYC.

See photos from opening night of After Midnight at Paper Mill Playhouse!

BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB will present the 14th Annual “A Swinging Birdland Christmas” for five performances from Thursday, December 21 to Monday, December 25 at 5:30 PM.

Actors Theatre of Indiana presents ATI's Greatest Hits Volume 2, featuring powerful performances and fan favorites from past shows like NUNSENSE, WORKING, CABARET, SWEENEY TODD, GODSPELL, FOREVER PLAID, and MY FAIR LADY.

BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB will present award-winning vocalist Karen Akers, who returns to the venue with the special evening “Water Under the Bridge,” on Monday, November 20 at 7:00 PM.

BIRDLAND THEATER will present singer and tap dancer AC Lincoln in concert on Tuesday, November 14 at 5:30 PM. 

Join acclaimed pop, jazz, and blues vocalist and instrumentalist SUEDE as she takes the stage at Birdland Theater on November 9th. Accompanied by her longtime pianist Freddie Boyle and bassist Bill Moring, this unforgettable performance is not to be missed. Get your tickets now!

The World Premiere of SUGAR HILL: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker, the jazz-steeped reimagining of The Nutcracker based on the genre-defying collaboration of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, will debut at New York City Center.

The Gateway's Annual Fundraiser, SHAKE THE SHORE, will take place at The Gateway in Bellport on July 29 at 6 PM. The evening will honor Bellport's Diane Giattino and will feature a performance by The Gateway Alum, Nick Sanchez of Broadway's Hamilton, as well as, a special appearance by two-time Olympic Medalist, Nancy Kerrigan – star of The Gateway's Holiday Spectacular on Ice.

Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater are open this July with a full slate of nightly performances! 

Duke Ellington will be celebrated on Sunday, May 21 from 2-4pm with the return of a FREE, annual outdoor concert commemorating the jazz great's birthday. This year's event, at the Duke Ellington Statue, 5th Avenue and 110th Street in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood, will also celebrate National Tap Dance Day, which takes place yearly on May 25, the birthday of tap legend Bill Bojangles Robinson.

The American Tap Dance Foundation's First Friday Film Festival will return on Friday, May 5 from 7-9pm ET, with A Salute to the Copasetics - LIVESTREAMED.

Tony Waag, Executive Director of The American Tap Dance Foundation, and Mercedes Ellington, CEO/Artistic Director of The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts, announced a special event on Sunday, April 30 honoring the birthday of jazz great Duke Ellington at The Ellington Restaurant, 2745 Broadway (105th St and Broadway) in NYC, 6-9pm.

The American Tap Dance Foundation’s INTERNATIONAL TAP DANCE ZOOM FORUM will return on Tuesday, April 11 at 10am ET and 9pm ET, with participants from Canada, Brazil, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Germany and Spain joining together to compare notes on the art form’s funding, perception, and programing.

Bloomingdale School of Music presents BSM Jazz Fest, celebrating Jazz Appreciation Month on Saturday, April 22 at 3pm at the David Greer Concert Hall, 323 West 108th Street, NYC.

The American Tap Dance Foundation's First Friday Film Festival will return on Friday, April 7 from 7-8pm ET, with a livestreamed Rhythm in Motion. Registration and link can be found at Shows & Events. Fee: $5.00.

See photos from inside The 14th Annual Dancers Over 40 Legacy Awards and Holiday Dinner, presented on Monday, December 5, 2022 at Lips Restaurant.

Shoshana Bean, Lilli Cooper, Jared Grimes and Christine Pedi have joined the roster of performers for a concert celebration at the 30th Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala, which will honor musical theater legend Leslie Uggams with the 2022 Oscar Hammerstein Award for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theater, which will be presented by Dionne Warwick.