Marsha Ambrosius To Close The 14th Annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival In September

Vocalist, songwriter, producer and lyricist Marsha Ambrosius has just been added to close out the 14th Annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival (PIJF), on Sunday, September 22, at 8:45 pm, on Liberty Avenue, between 10th and 7th Streets downtown, near the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC), 980 Liberty Avenue. The festival, which runs from September 19-22 with free street concerts on Saturday and Sunday and paid events at AWAACC, is co-presented by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Ambrosius's performance is made possible by generous support from The Wilson Group.

Known as “The Songstress” for her fluid and formidable operatic voice that is at home in any musical genre, Ambrosius has been at the top of the neo-soul game since 1997, as a founding member of the duo, Floetry, as a writer/producer who worked for everyone from Alicia Keys to Michael Jackson, and as a solo artist, who just released her latest album, Casablanco: a grand, 11-track soulful synthesis of quiet storm, soul, hip-hop and jazz. Along with producer Dr. Dre, and a 27-piece orchestra, Ambrosius' epic recording includes samples and melodic references from an eclectic potpourri of artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Duke Ellington, Nas, The Wu-Tang Clan and The Mary Jane Girls.

“Supporting the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival means supporting growth and tourism for our City of Pittsburgh. We believe in the mission of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center and look forward to building a strong relationship with our great jazz fest,” says Derrick Wilson, CEO/Founder of The Wilson Group, one of the leading providers in the workflow solutions industry in the nation.  

Ambrosius' musical eclecticism was nurtured in her hometown of Liverpool, England. She and Natalie Stewart aka The Floacist, who shared with Ambrosius a love for music, poetry and basketball, both attended BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology as well as Stewart Performing Arts, Media and Art. Ambrosius kept in touch with Stewart when she went to college, and they formed Floetry in 1997. The duo moved to Atlanta and Philadelphia three years later, released several hit singles including, “Floetic,” “Say Yes” and “Getting Late;” recorded three albums: Floetic, Flo'Ology and Floacism Live. They opened for Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and Queen Latifah and composed for Scott, Jazz of Dru Hill and Bilal. Ambrosius individually penned songs for Glenn Lewis and Michael Jackson's 2002 single, “Butterflies.”

Ambrosius broke off from Floetry in 2007 and became a solo artist. She released a mixtape, Neo Soul Is Dead and formed her own production company. Ambrosius has worked with Keys, Wale, Jamie Foxx, Slum Village and The Roots. Her recordings as a leader include Late Nights & Early Mornings, Friends & Lovers and Nyla. Her biggest single as a solo artist is the beautiful ballad, “Far Away.” Along with her nine Grammy nominations, Ambrosius won the Centric Awards at the 2011 BET Awards and was nominated for best Female R&B Artist the next year. “Far Away” was chosen as Record of The Year at the 2011 Soul Train Awards.

With her new Silver Screen-themed album Casablanco, Ambrosius will put on a jazzy show that crosses genres from bebop to hip-hop.

For more information and tickets for concerts at AWAACC and VIP packages for the free concerts, please log on to https://pittsburghjazzfest.org.

The 2024 PIJF also features Robert Glasper, Shemekia Copeland, Maysa, Average White Band Farewell Tour, Sean Jones, Orrin Evans & The Captain Black Big Band, Emmet Cohen Trio, Endea Owens & The Cookout, Cimafunk, Luedji Luna, Dan Wilson, Selecta, Vanisha Gould, Howie Alexander, Chris Coles, Reagan Gray & Black Vitaminz and the popular Taste of Jazz Party.

ABOUT HIGHMARK INC.

An independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Highmark Inc., together with its Blue-branded affiliates, collectively comprise the fifth largest overall Blue Cross Blue Shield-affiliated organization in the country with approximately 7 million members in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and western and northeastern New York. Its diversified businesses serve group customer and individual needs across the United States through dental insurance and other related businesses. For more information, visit www.highmark.com. 

The Highmark Bright Blue Futures program is designed to ensure healthier, brighter, stronger futures for all, and it focuses on improving equitable access to care, quality of life, and economic resilience in the communities the enterprise serves. For more information, visit Highmark Bright Blue Futures.

ABOUT August Wilson AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER

The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is a non-profit cultural organization located in Pittsburgh's cultural district that generates artistic, educational, and community initiatives that advance the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. One of the largest cultural centers in the country focused exclusively on the African American experience and the celebration of Black culture and the African diaspora, the non-profit organization welcomes more than 119,000 visitors locally and nationally. Through year-round programming across multiple genres, such as the annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, Black Bottom Film Festival, AWCommunity Days, TRUTHSayers speaker series, and rotating art exhibits in its galleries, the Center provides a platform for established and emerging artists of color whose work reflects the universal issues of identity that Wilson tackled, and which still resonate today. www.awaacc.org.

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