Featuring Bill Charlap, Dee Dee Bridgewater, John Scofield, Nicholas Payton, Vijay Iyer, Veronica Swift, John Pizzarelli, Caleb Teicher, Renee Rosnes, Aaron Diehl, Nicole Glover, Norm Lewis & More.
The 92nd Street Y, New York announces Midsummer MusicFest, a new summer festival debuting this year in celebration of 92NY’s 150th anniversary. Envisioned as an annual summer event inspired by a musical genre that has made a significant impact on 92NY’s programming, the festival launches this year with three weeks focusing on jazz. Midsummer MusicFest 2023 runs from July 11-27 and includes 92NY’s signature Jazz in July festival led by artistic director Bill Charlap, plus additional performances that showcase jazz’s far- reaching influence. Each summer the festival will feature leading artistic voices from a chosen genre, looking to the future through new commissions and fresh perspectives.
With this year’s Jazz in July, Bill Charlap also announces his last season as artistic director, a role he assumed in 2005 from founding artistic director Dick Hyman. “My nearly two decades guiding and shaping Jazz in July have been inexpressively wonderful,” says Charlap. “When I told my longtime friends at The 92nd Street Y at the start of 2023 that I had decided to move on after this season, it was emotional for me. I have loved running this festival, but it's time for me – time for new collaborations, for teaching and mentoring the next generation of talent, and for the many other aspects of my life in music. I’ll forever be grateful for my years leading Jazz in July, to 92NY for their trust in me, and to the profoundly gifted artists who have joined me in all of the magical musicmaking on that very special stage. I expect to return often, just wearing one hat now: Bill Charlap, pianist.”
“Bill Charlap has worked tirelessly for nearly two decades on Jazz in July, making 92NY one of the world’s premier destinations for concert jazz,” comments Amy Lam, Vice President, Tisch Music. “He has presented such jazz eminences as Hank Jones, Jimmy Heath and Bucky Pizzarelli and his keen eye for young talent has energized the festival with such artists as Cecile McLorin Salvant, Aaron Diehl and Samara Joy in the early stages of their careers. We are beyond grateful for his artistic leadership, and for his working with us in our search for the next artistic director. And we look forward to his return as a featured artist in future seasons.”
Lam further notes, “92NY was one of the first cultural institutions to bring jazz from small clubs to a major concert hall, with performances by such great artists as Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and Betty Carter. It seems appropriate to celebrate our 150th anniversary with the launch of this new summer festival that includes our beloved Jazz in July, plus additional performances showcasing jazz’s far-reaching influence.”
Get Tickets
Tue, Jul 11, 7:30 pm
Thu, Jul 13, 7:30 pm
Thu, Jul 13, 9 pm
Featuring Charles Turner and Uptown Swing with Caleb Teicher, Nathan Bugh and Gaby Cook
Join us in Buttenwieser Hall at The Arnold Center immediately following the concert for a social swing dance party led by top NYC swing dancers and instructors, Caleb Teicher, Nathan Bugh, and Gaby Cook, and the fabulous swing band Charles Turner & Uptown Swing! No experience necessary, there’s dance and joy for all! Co-presented with Harkness Dance Center.
Sun, Jul 16, 5 pm
One of the leading musical minds of his generation in jazz and far beyond, composer and pianist Vijay Iyer joins us with his superlative trio—drummer Tyshawn Sorey and bassist Linda May Han Oh—trio and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for the New York premiere of Emergence – Iyer’s mesmerizing suite for chamber orchestra and jazz trio. Also on the program: Paul Chihara’s artful reimagings for strings of four classic Ellington songs, and the New York premiere of a new piece by legendary film and concert music composer and four-time Grammy nominee Danny Elfman.
Ellington/Chihara: Ellington Fantasy
I’m Beginning to See the Light
Sophisticated Lady
Take the “A” Train
Mood Indigo
Elfman: Suite for Chamber Orchestra (New York premiere)
Tue, Jul 18, 7:30 pm
Thu, Jul 20, 7:30 pm
Tue, Jul 25, 7:30 pm
Wed, July 26, 7:30 pm
Thu, Jul 27, 7:30 pm
Each artist a star—each, one of THE definitive performers on their instrument—together, a constellation. Join us for the brilliance, chemistry, and a night of music that will only happen once and only happen here.
With this year’s Jazz in July, Bill Charlap also announces his last season as artistic director, a role he assumed in 2005 from founding artistic director Dick Hyman. “My nearly two decades guiding and shaping Jazz in July have been inexpressively wonderful,” says Charlap. “When I told my longtime friends at The 92nd Street Y at the start of 2023 that I had decided to move on after this season, it was emotional for me. I have loved running this festival, but it's time for me – time for new collaborations, for teaching and mentoring the next generation of talent, and for the many other aspects of my life in music. I’ll forever be grateful for my years leading Jazz in July, to 92NY for their trust in me, and to the profoundly gifted artists who have joined me in all of the magical musicmaking on that very special stage. I expect to return often, just wearing one hat now: Bill Charlap, pianist.”
“Bill Charlap has worked tirelessly for nearly two decades on Jazz in July, making 92NY one of the world’s premier destinations for concert jazz,” comments Amy Lam, Vice President, Tisch Music. “He has presented such jazz eminences as Hank Jones, Jimmy Heath and Bucky Pizzarelli and his keen eye for young talent has energized the festival with such artists as Cecile McLorin Salvant, Aaron Diehl and Samara Joy in the early stages of their careers. We are beyond grateful for his artistic leadership, and for his working with us in our search for the next artistic director. And we look forward to his return as a featured artist in future seasons.”
Lam further notes, “92NY was one of the first cultural institutions to bring jazz from small clubs to a major concert hall, with performances by such great artists as Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and Betty Carter. It seems appropriate to celebrate our 150th anniversary with the launch of this new summer festival that includes our beloved Jazz in July, plus additional performances showcasing jazz’s far-reaching influence.”
Get Tickets
In Person
Midsummer MusicFestTue, Jul 11, 7:30 pm
An Evening With Norm Lewis
One of Broadway’s most sought-after stars, Tony, Emmy, and Grammy nominee Norm Lewis kicks off our summer music season. Renowned for his work in musical theater, film, and television, and the rich baritone that made history in Phantom of the Opera and brought leading roles in Les Misérables, Porgy and Bess, Sweeney Todd, and more, Lewis joins us for an evening highlighting the influence of jazz on the American Songbook. In a program spanning jazz, Broadway, standards, and blues, this uniquely versatile artist showcases the talent the New York Times has called “electrifying.”In Person & Online
Midsummer MusicFestThu, Jul 13, 7:30 pm
Caleb Teicher & Veronica Swift
Modern tap and swing-dance sensation Caleb Teicher and Veronica Swift, dubbed by Downbeat as “one of the most irresistibly talented jazz vocalists of her generation,” are two singular artists expanding the idea of what a jazz-rooted art form can be. In this delight-filled first collaboration, Swift and band and Teicher and dancers blend standards, bebop, tap, and Lindy Hop for a playful exploration of rhythm in all its possibilities. Co-presented with Harkness Dance Center. Optional in person add-on event for Caleb Teicher & Veronica Swift ticket buyers: Swing-Dance PartyThu, Jul 13, 9 pm
Featuring Charles Turner and Uptown Swing with Caleb Teicher, Nathan Bugh and Gaby Cook
Join us in Buttenwieser Hall at The Arnold Center immediately following the concert for a social swing dance party led by top NYC swing dancers and instructors, Caleb Teicher, Nathan Bugh, and Gaby Cook, and the fabulous swing band Charles Turner & Uptown Swing! No experience necessary, there’s dance and joy for all! Co-presented with Harkness Dance Center.
In Person
Midsummer MusicFestSun, Jul 16, 5 pm
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with the Vijay Iyer Trio
“Vijay Iyer could be the poster boy for twenty-first-century jazz: omnivorous in his musical interests, socially and politically aware, his powers as a pianist, composer, and bandleader ever expanding … A triumph of small-group interchange and fertile invention.” —The New YorkerOne of the leading musical minds of his generation in jazz and far beyond, composer and pianist Vijay Iyer joins us with his superlative trio—drummer Tyshawn Sorey and bassist Linda May Han Oh—trio and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for the New York premiere of Emergence – Iyer’s mesmerizing suite for chamber orchestra and jazz trio. Also on the program: Paul Chihara’s artful reimagings for strings of four classic Ellington songs, and the New York premiere of a new piece by legendary film and concert music composer and four-time Grammy nominee Danny Elfman.
Program
Iyer: Emergence, for jazz trio and orchestra (New York premiere)Ellington/Chihara: Ellington Fantasy
I’m Beginning to See the Light
Sophisticated Lady
Take the “A” Train
Mood Indigo
Elfman: Suite for Chamber Orchestra (New York premiere)
In Person & Online
Midsummer MusicFest / Jazz in JulyTue, Jul 18, 7:30 pm
Bill Charlap Trio with special guests Dee Dee Bridgewater and Nicholas Payton
“There are certain gigs that remind you why you fell in love with jazz in the first place. Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and pianomeister Bill Charlap did just that Friday night at Catalina’s,” wrote Jazz Weekly following a 2022 performance at the famed LA jazz club. The NEA Jazz Master and triple Grammy Award winner teams with Grammy-winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton and the Grammy-winning Bill Charlap Trio—Peter Washington on bass, Kenny Washington on drums—to open the 2023 Jazz in July season. They bring the artistic alchemy that has made their collaborations a joyride of spontaneous storytelling and improvisation, making this opening concert one not to miss.In Person & Online
Midsummer MusicFest / Jazz in JulyThu, Jul 20, 7:30 pm
Bill Charlap, Aaron Diehl, Isaiah J. Thompson & Caelan Cardello with Noriko Ueda and Carl Allen
The present—and future—of jazz piano convenes on the stage that has hosted legends of the art form from Thelonious Monk to Hank Jones to Chick Corea. Jazz in July artistic director Bill Charlap is joined by a dynamic virtuoso of modern jazz piano, the sublimely talented Aaron Diehl, and two fast-rising piano stars of the next generation. Isaiah J. Thompson, winner of the 2023 American Pianists Awards, has been hailed by NPR as, “a young musician and composer with a mature touch and rare combination of talent, creativity, humility, and honesty.” Caelan Cardello is the recipient of the 2021 BMI Foundation’s Future Jazz Master Award, and has played with such major artists as Jimmy Cobb, Rufus Reid, and Christian McBride. Hear them all in solo, trio, and two-piano performances, with the masterful rhythm team of bassist Noriko Ueda and drummer Carl Allen.In Person & Online
Midsummer MusicFest / Jazz in JulyTue, Jul 25, 7:30 pm
John Scofield with Bill Charlap, Scott Colley and Bill Stewart
Guitar legend John Scofield has been a force in jazz for 50 years, playing with artists from Miles Davis to Charlie Haden, Charles Mingus to Herbie Hancock. He joins Bill Charlap with two contemporary masters, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Bill Stewart, bringing the distinctive sound, stylistic diversity, and brilliant improvisation that has made him a giant of post-bop, funk-edged modern jazz guitar.In Person & Online
Midsummer MusicFest / Jazz in JulyWed, July 26, 7:30 pm
Bill Charlap, solo piano
Bill Charlap has collaborated with countless giants of jazz on our stage since his first Jazz in July appearance more than 35 years ago. This solo piano concert is Charlap’s first at 92NY, and a rarity even among his jazz club appearances. The New York Times wrote, “Bill Charlap is masterful. His stylistic range encompasses rollicking stride piano, bebop virtuosity, and harmonically opulent modernism.” Performing jazz and songbook standards in the intimate space of our newly renovated Buttenwieser Hall at The Arnhold Center, this one-night-only concert is a rare chance to experience Charlap’s artistry up close and personal.In Person & Online
Midsummer MusicFest / Jazz in JulyThu, Jul 27, 7:30 pm
Jazz in July All-Star Jazz Party
Bill Charlap, John Pizzarelli, Renee Rosnes, Steve Wilson, Ken Peplowski, Jeremy Pelt, Nicole Glover, David Wong, and Dennis MackrelEach artist a star—each, one of THE definitive performers on their instrument—together, a constellation. Join us for the brilliance, chemistry, and a night of music that will only happen once and only happen here.
