‘Modern-day Louis Armstrong’ Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra are coming to Canberra

Posted on 14 July, 2023

Jazz lovers are in for a treat this August when Wynton Marsalis comes to The Snow Concert Hall, accompanied by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Across two nights this August, trumpet virtuoso Wynton Marsalis will serve Canberrans a sizzling slice of New York jazz, featuring everything from toe-tapping jazz standards (think: Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Charles Mingus and more) to original compositions, accompanied by the talents of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO).

Established in 1988, the JLCO is composed of 15 phenomenal jazz soloists and ensemble players and has produced thousands of performances in New York and around the world from their residency at New York City’s famed Lincoln Center, home to The Metropolitan Opera, The Julliard School and New York City Ballet.

Fresh off the plane from New York City, Wynton Marsalis and the JLCO will undertake a six-day residency at the Snow Concert Hall, where they’ll be spending time with Canberra Grammar School music students.

Education is a key part of the JLCO’s charter, with hundreds of hours each year spent with students and leading educational events, reaching 110,000 students, teachers and general audience members annually.

Subsection of the band, playing as small group. Credit: Luigi Beverelli.

This residency will culminate in two concerts that are open to the public on Thursday 17 August and Friday 18 August.

These performances are just the latest in the Snow Concert Hall’s International Concert Series 2023. Featuring hand-picked world-class classical and jazz musicians, the curated series has come to life under the careful direction of Ana de la Vega, the Snow Concert Hall’s Artistic Director—and one of the best classical flautists in the world, whose own concerts we wrote about earlier this year.

While the Snow Concert Hall seats an impressive 936 people, it will still be an intimate venue for Marsalis and the JLCO and jazz enthusiasts are encouraged to run, not walk, to snap up tickets, as these concerts are anticipated to sell out.

JLCO Section of the Band. Credit: Luigi Beverelli.

Feature image: Wynton Marsalis by Lawrence Sumulong.