Performances by Saxophonist Melissa Aldana, Pianist Hiromi, Cambridge-born Vocalist Nnenna Freelon, and Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire
The pop-up jazz club at the Artists For Humanity EpiCenter offers great music in a vibrant art-filled space, a cash bar, snacks, and more! Tickets start at $19
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Video b-roll from the 2022 Jazz Festival
(For Immediate Release, Boston—February 9, 2023) Celebrity Series of Boston announces the return of the Jazz Festival at the Artists For Humanity EpiCenter March 8-11. The popular pop-up festival showcases exciting jazz artists saxophonist Melissa Aldana, pianist Hiromi, vocalist Nnenna Freelon, and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. With dramatic lighting, great sound, a vibrant art-filled space, table seating, snacks and a bar, this four-night Festival is sure to be the hottest ticket in jazz this spring.
Gary Dunning, President and Executive Director of the Celebrity Series of Boston, says, “This year’s Jazz Festival artists are continuing to push the bounds of contemporary jazz, with connections to classical, hip hop, and rock. Our partnership with the Artists For Humanity EpiCenter venue will transport you to a jazz club where you meet new friends at your very own cabaret table, and there's not a bad seat in the house. Celebrity Series continues our commitment to pursuing innovation and amplifying artists’ voices, and we hope you will join us for an unforgettable jazz experience.”
Celebrity Series Jazz Festival Performances:
Melissa Aldana Quartet
Artists For Humanity EpiCenter
Wed. March 8, 7pm
Tickets: $19-$75
https://www.celebrityseries.org/productions/melissa-aldana-quartet/
Thanks to her lyrical, elegant, powerful playing and her visionary band leadership, Melissa Aldana has been on an amazing upward trajectory in recent years. The Chilean tenor sax player—the first female instrumentalist to win the Thelonious Monk Award—is a co-founder of the supergroup Artemis and is leading her own trio to new heights of refined playing, assured songwriting, and thoughtful self-expression. Come hear one of the leaders of the new generation in jazz!
Hiromi
Artists For Humanity EpiCenter
Thu. March 9, 7pm
Tickets: SOLD OUT (check the box office for last minute availability) https://www.celebrityseries.org/productions/hiromi/
Musical pyrotechnics take the stage with this fiery solo performance from electrifying Japanese pianist Hiromi. Across her career, the audacious and multifaceted Hiromi has thrilled fans and critics alike with creative energy that can’t be contained by genre. She says, “I don’t want to put a name on my music. Other people can put a name on what I do. It’s just the union of what I’ve been listening to and what I’ve been learning. It has some elements of classical music, it has some rock, it has some jazz, but I don’t need to give it a name.”
Nnenna Freelon
Artists For Humanity EpiCenter
Fri. March 10, 7pm
Tickets: $19-$75
https://www.celebrityseries.org/productions/nnenna-freelon/
Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, renowned jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon has scaled the heights of jazz over her storied career, from headlining all-star shows, to performing for presidents and other heads of state. She brings her elegant voice and compelling stage presence to the pop-up club setting of Artists For Humanity EpiCenter in what will be a memorable experience.
Ambrose Akinmusire
Artists For Humanity EpiCenter
Sat. March 11, 7pm
Tickets: $19-$75
https://www.celebrityseries.org/productions/ambrose-akinmusire/
Berkeley, California-based trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire has become a force in jazz, at once excelling at his craft yet simultaneously stretching beyond the genre, making connections to classical, hip-hop, and other artistic circles. Refusing to be contained, he weaves inspiration from myriad sources into compositions that are as poetic and graceful as they are bold and unflinching.
Sponsors of the Celebrity Series of Boston Jazz Festival:
The 2022/23 Jazz Festival is generously sponsored by Jill & David Altshuler.
Support is provided by the Barr Foundation through its ArtsAmplified initiative.
The Jazz Festival is made possible in part by support from Celebrity Series' LIVE PERFORMANCE! Arts for All Innovation Funds.
Media Partner: GBH Jazz.
ABOUT CELEBRITY SERIES OF BOSTON
Celebrity Series of Boston was founded in 1938 by pianist and impresario Aaron Richmond. Celebrity Series has been bringing the very best performers—from orchestras and chamber ensembles, vocal and piano music, to dance companies, jazz, and more—to Boston’s major concert halls for 84 years. The Celebrity Series of Boston believes in the power of excellence and innovation in the performing arts to enrich life experiences, transform lives, and build better communities. Through its education initiatives, the Celebrity Series seeks to build a community of Greater Boston where the performing arts are a valued, lifelong, shared experience—on stages, on streets, in neighborhoods—everywhere.
Celebrity Series of Boston is grateful to our 2022/23 Season Sponsors Amy & Joshua Boger, 2022/23 Neighborhood Arts Presenting Sponsor Stephanie L. Brown Foundation, and to the many individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies whose support helps fulfill our mission to present performing artists who inspire and enrich our community. Individual and institutional supporters include Jill & David Altshuler, Leslie & Howard Appleby, the Barr Foundation through its ArtsAmplified initiative, Stephanie L. Brown Foundation, Julia Byers & Steven Holtzman, Amy & Ethan d'Ablemont Burnes, Deloitte, D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp., Kathleen & Chris Gaffney, Harriet & David Griesinger, The Klarman Family Foundation, Peter & Anna Kolchinsky, George & Lizbeth Krupp, Liberty Mutual Foundation, Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation, Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Eleanor & Frank Pao, Stephen C. Perry & Oliver Radford, The Rabb Family Foundations, Cynthia & John S. Reed Foundation, The Reopen Creative Boston Fund administered by the Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, Reuben Reynolds, Royal Little Family Foundation, Sally S. Seaver, PhD, Stifler Family Foundation, Belinda Termeer, Susan & Michael Thonis, Dorothy & Stephen Weber, Yawkey Foundation, Anonymous (3), and many others.
celebrityseries.org
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