Carnegie Hall Announces 2015-16 Jazz, World & Pop Music Season

Carnegie Hall's 125th anniversary season is fast approaching, and we are looking forward to a variety of exciting new projects and exceptional programming. Listed below are jazz, pop, and world music highlights at Carnegie Hall for the 2015-2016 season.

A major programming highlight, beginning in October 2015, is singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash's four-event Perspectives series, titled The Southern Thread, with concerts featuring artists that represent the rich and disparate elements of American roots music, from traditional bluegrass and country to soul, and from Western swing to hardscrabble, virtuosic folk music. The featured artists in the series include the four-time Grammy Award-nominated band The Time Jumpers; multi-instruments Ry Cooder and Ricky Skaggs, joined by vocalist Sharon White; and the Alabama-based soul septet St. Paul and The Broken Bones.

Other popular music highlights include performances by Tony Award-winning singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik, as part of the WFUV Live at Zankel series presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with WFUV 90.7 FM; multiple Grammy Award-winning gospel singer Donnie McClurkin joined by R&B vocalist Kim Burrell, in a concert produced by Music Director Ray Chew; The New York Pops with Music Director Steven Reineke, who launch their season with guest artists Sierra Boggess, Steven Pasquale, and Essential Voices USA in a program titled My Favorite Things: The Music of Rodgers and Hammerstein; the three-concert Standard Time series with Michael Feinstein; and mezzo-soprano Susan Graham in a program of pop standards that reunites her with some of her closest musical friends.

Jazz highlights this season include performances by the versatile guitarist Julian Lage with the New York City concert debut of his new trio; Grammy Award-winning pianist Robert Glasper and his acclaimed trio; Cuban percussionist and vocalist Pedrito Martinez performing the music of Yoruba and Santerá; renowned pianist and composer Randy Weston celebrating his 90th birthday with a concert highlighting his storied career; and the legendary Dianne Reeves returning for an evening of swinging, sultry song.

In world music highlights, Carnegie Hall's forthcoming season features performances by Indian vocalist Kaushiki Chakraborty; singer-songwriter Joan Soriano performing African and Spanish-based soul music of the Dominican Republic; the soulful a cappella group Sweet Honey In The Rock; Spanish flamenco composer and guitarist Vincente Amigo; vocalists Ana Moura and Buika in a fado double-bill; and Qasida, bringing together musicians from Spain and Iran, led by vocalists Rosario Guerrero "La Tremendita" and Mohammad Motamedi.

Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute launches The Somewhere Project, a citywide creative learning project exploring West Side Story that culminates in a large-scale production of the famed musical at Knockdown Center, a restored factory in Queens, in March 2016, conducted by Marin Alsop and directed by Amanda Dehnert. The performance features professional artists in lead roles, dance inspired by Jerome Robbins's classic choreography, and the participation of high school students and community members from around the city.

Single tickets for Carnegie Hall presentations go on sale Monday, August 24 at 8:00 a.m. (with an early on-sale date of Monday, August 17 at 8:00 a.m. for subscribers and donors). Tickets can be purchased at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, by phone at CarnegieCharge (212-247-7800), or online at carnegiehall.org. Subscription packages are currently available.

---

CARNEGIE HALL 2015-2016 JAZZ, WORLD MUSIC, AND POP SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
All performances take place in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage unless otherwise noted.

Fall/Winter 2015 Highlights -- October - December

- Beginning in October, singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash curates a four-concert Perspectives series titled The Southern Thread, a unique residency that celebrates her deep attachment to Southern roots music. Cash kicks off the series on October 24, presenting and hosting the first of three concerts in Zankel Hall by artists she is championing, with The Time Jumpers, an 11-piece, four-time Grammy Award-nominated band comprising legendary veterans of the Nashville music scene. For the second installment, on November 14, she brings together master multi-instrumentalists Ry Cooder and Ricky Skaggs with vocalist Sharon White for an extraordinarily rare performance that explores traditional blues, gospel, and bluegrass. On January 15, Cash presents the electrifying soul septet St. Paul and The Broken Bones as they make their Carnegie Hall debut. Cash concludes her Perspectives series on February 20, in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, with a performance of songs from her critically lauded album The River & The Thread, as well as other musical highlights from her storied 35-year career.

- The New York Pops and Music Director Steven Reineke open their season of concerts in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage on October 9 with guest artists Sierra Boggess, Steven Pasquale, and Essential Voices USA in a program titled My Favorite Things: The Music of Rodgers and Hammerstein, honoring the beloved music of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Other concerts by the Pops this fall include Sophisticated Ladies featuring Montego Glover, Capathia Jenkins, and Sy Smith, celebrating the centennial year of Billie Holiday's birth and other groundbreaking icons of American popular song on November 13; and It's Christmas Time in the City, the orchestra's festive holiday program, this year featuring Broadway stars Stephanie J. Block and Brian d'Arcy James on December 18 and 19.

- Indian vocalist Kaushiki Chakraborty's brings her stunning mastery of South and North Indian vocal traditions to Zankel Hall on October 16. Her group Sakhi brings together five young Indian artists for the evening's performance, exploring the ancient role that women have played in Indian music.

- On October 17, in Zankel Hall, rising-star guitarist Julian Lage is joined by the all-star rhythm section of bassist Scott Colley and drummer Kenny Wollesen for the New York City concert debut of his newly formed trio.

- Singer and songwriter Michael Feinstein returns to Carnegie Hall on October 21 as artistic director of his three-concert Standard Time with Michael Feinstein series in Zankel Hall, exploring selections from the Great American Songbook alongside special guest artists. Additional performances take place on February 10 and March 23.

- On October 22, acclaimed American pianist and composer Brad Mehldau performs the world premiere of his composition Three Pieces for Piano After Bach, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall for its 125 Commissions project, among other works to be announced.

- Singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik performs songs from his discography, including his newest, Legerdemain, as well as favorites from his musical theater works on November 21 in Zankel Hall, presented in partnership with WFUV.

- On December 4, in Zankel Hall, virtuoso Cretan lyra player Ross Daly performs compositions inspired from Cretan folk music, Turkish classical music, and Azeri and Afghan music.

- Grammy Award-winning pianist Robert Glasper reunites with his acclaimed acoustic trio including renowned bassist Vicente Archer and the phenomenal drummer Damion Reid, on December 5 in Zankel Hall.

- On December 9, acclaimed producer, composer, and director Ray Chew leads an all-star ensemble in Gospel Sing Along with Donnie McClurkin and Kim Burrell, a concert where the audience joins voices with the artists on stage as part of the joyous celebration.

Winter / Spring 2016 Highlights -- January - May

- New Orleans-based band Hurray for the Riff Raff gives a country and folk-infused performance featuring the vocals of Alynda Lee Segarra, accompanied by guitar, fiddle, accordion, and other down-home instruments on January 29, presented in partnership with WFUV.

- Singer-songwriter Joan Soriano--known for playing a major role in popularizing bachata, the African- and Spanish-based soul music of the Dominican Republic--performs a concert in Zankel Hall on January 30.

- On February 11, Sweet Honey In The Rock returns to Carnegie Hall with a program of vibrant song, dance, and storytelling, all heard through its diverse, a cappella mixture of blues, African music, jazz, gospel, and R&B.

- On February 19, in Zankel Hall, the Cuban-born musician Pedrito Martinez-a dynamic percussionist and powerful vocalist-performs a program featuring the Afro-Cuban rumba tradition and the batá rhythms and vocal chants of the music of Yoruba and Santería.

- Spanish flamenco composer and guitarist Vicente Amigo performs music from his Grammy Award-winning fourth album, City of Ideas, on March 4.

- A major highlight of the extensive education and community programs presented by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, The Somewhere Project is a citywide creative learning project and exploration of West Side Story that will engage students and community members through events in all five New York City boroughs. It is anchored by a large-scale professional-level production of the iconic musical in three performances on March 4, 5, and 6 at Knockdown Center, a restored factory in Queens, conducted by Marin Alsop and directed by Amanda Denhert.

- On March 5, Nashville-based band The Wood Brothers-comprised of brothers Chris Wood and Oliver Wood, and Jano Rix-give a concert on featuring their unique blend of blues, soul, and funk, presented in partnership with WFUV.

- On March 18, in Zankel Hall, Qasida brings together musicians from Spain and Iran who expand upon the ancient musical relationships from which flamenco is derived. Led by vocalists Rosario Guerrero "La Tremendita" and Mohammad Motamedi, the group invokes the spirit of Al-Andalus-the cultural center of the Arab-Iberian world where Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived in relative harmony.

- Legendary pianist and composer Randy Weston celebrates his 90th birthday on March 19, in Zankel Hall, combining the rich music of Africa with the African-American tradition of jazz, mixing rhythms and melodies into a hybrid of music that has been a hallmark of his storied career.

- Grammy Award-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves earned rapturous acclaim for her last Carnegie Hall appearance. On March 30, one of the foremost jazz singers in the world is back for an evening of swinging, sultry song.

- Portuguese fado, Spanish flamenco, and other Latin song traditions are showcased by vocalists Ana Moura and Buika in a performance on April 26.

- Carnegie Hall's 125th anniversary celebration reaches its pinnacle on Thursday, May 5, 2016-exactly 125 years to the day that the Hall first opened its doors-with an all-star gala featuring appearances by Carnegie Hall's esteemed artist trustees: Martina Arroyo, Emanuel Ax, Renée Fleming, Marilyn Horne, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Jessye Norman, and James Taylor.

- Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham reunites with some of her closest musical friends, including pianist Jake Heggie and other guest artists on May 12, to perform songs by Lerner and Loewe, Kurt Weill, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and more.