Town Hall Ensemble: City Suite

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22 2017

123 WEST 43RD STREET NYC | THETOWNHALL.ORG | @TOWNHALLNYC #TOWNHALLPRESENTS

Sunday, October 22nd 2017 THE TOWN HALL PRESENTS THE ENSEMBLE

Town Hall Ensemble City Suite

Lakecia Benjamin / alto sax Luis Bonilla / trombone Zach Brock / violin Marc Cary / piano, keys Nels Cline / guitar Natalie Cressman / trombone Marika Hughes / cello JT Lewis / drums Pedrito Martinez / percussion Lenny Pickett / tenor, clarinet Scott Robinson / reeds Ricardo Rodriguez / bass Bria Skonberg / trumpet

Special Guests Lisa Fischer Will Hermes Eric Mingus Toshi Reagon Hal Willner

Musical Director Steven Bernstein

LARRY ZUCKER, Executive Director M.A. PAPPER, Artistic Director, Producer LEIA-LEE DORAN, Designer JOHNNY MORENO, Projection Designer CINDY BYRAM, Publicity BILL DEHLING, Technical Director CHUCK DISHIAN, Production Coordinator SARAH ALTMAN, Stage Manager

123 WEST 43RD STREET NEW YORK NY 10036 | THETOWNHALL.ORG @TOWNHALLNYC #TOWNHALLPRESENTS

PROGRAM INTRODUCTION

FREEDOM (Toshi Reagon) • Featuring TOSHI REAGON NEXUS OF INVENTION • Featuring WILL HERMES RUSSIAN FANTASY (Fats Waller) ANI MA’AMIN (traditional) CUBANO BE/CUBANO BOP (Dizzy Gillespie/Chano Pozo/George Russell) LITTLE ROOTIE TOOTIE (Thelonious Monk) MY SAD SELF (Allen Ginsberg) / NEW YORK’S ALRIGHT IF YOU LIKE SAXOPHONES (Fear) • Featuring HAL WILLNER - INTERMISSION FREEDOM (Charles Mingus) • Featuring ERIC MINGUS HONOR! HONOR! (Hall Johnson) • Featuring ERIC MINGUS NO CRYSTAL STAIR (Frances Thomas, Langston Hughes) • Featuring LISA FISCHER WITNESS (Hall Johnson) MY FEET ARE TIRED (Frances Thomas) • Featuring LISA FISCHER WE SHALL OVERCOME (traditional) MY COUNTRY, ‘TIS OF THEE (lyrics Samuel Francis Smith; melody Thomas Arne)

Town Hall Ensemble: City Suite The TOWN HALL ENSEMBLE is a collective that celebrates the cultural and musical history of New York City. Directed by trumpeter, arranger and bandleader Steven Bernstein and featuring some of the best musicians in New York City, the Town Hall Ensemble presents City Suite, featuring special performances by Lisa Fischer, Will Hermes, Eric Mingus, Toshi Reagon, and Hal Willner.

Paying tribute to the character and spirit of New York City, Town Hall Ensemble: City Suite includes unique renditions of historic music performances at Town Hall, lost music of social justice movements, songs of unity, songs of rebellion, forgotten stories, and collaborations that could only happen in New York City.

City Suite revisits the history of The Town Hall and explores some of the most important social and musical events in New York City over the past century—landmark moments that occurred on this iconic stage, including: Songs from Coretta Scott King’s Freedom Concerts, which she debuted at Town Hall in November 1964. Coretta Scott King saw the power of music and words as a catalyst of change and progress, and modeled her Freedom Concerts after Paul Robeson’s performances. Robeson (who performed in three decades at Town Hall) gave political commentary before and in between songs; Mrs. King likewise alternated song and narration to tell the story of the struggle, and reached audiences beyond those who were inclined to attend civil rights rallies. Songs included hymns and freedom songs, Honor! Honor! (Hall Johnson), My Feet Are Tired (Frances Thomas), Witness (Johnson), and No Crystal Stair (Thomas), arranged by Coretta Scott King’s longtime musical director and teacher Frances Thomas, who lyrically adapted Langston Hughes’ poem Mother to Son; A 70th anniversary rendition of Cubana Be / Cubana Bop, songs from Dizzy Gillespie´s landmark collaboration with Cuban conga player and composer Chano Pozo (December 1947 at Town Hall), considered the birth of Jazz’s Latin Tinge; Little Rootie Tootie by Thelonious Monk, performed at The Town Hall in 1959 by Monk’s tentet and widely regarded one of his best concerts and recordings; Freedom by Charles Mingus (Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall, 1962), performed with the Town Hall Ensemble by his son, Eric Mingus; Ani Ma’amin (“I Believe”) is an arrangement by Steven Bernstein based on historic musical adaptations of the popular Jewish recitation. A version is said to have been performed at the Rachem Nu fundraising concert in 1944 featuring famed Jewish cantor Moshe Oysher, to benefit the war effort against the Nazis.

City Suite revisits works by iconic New Yorkers and songs about the city: Russian Fantasy (1935) was written and performed by the legendary Fats Waller, jazz pioneer and icon of the Harlem Renaissance. Fats Waller performed at Town Hall several times and Eddie Condon played a tribute concert to Fats after his passing at age 39.

New York’s Alright If You Like Saxophones is a song by the band Fear (1981). Their notorious performance on a Halloween episode of Saturday Night Live was a fitting testament to the punk scene of the early 80’s.

City Suite features a musical essay by author/critic Will Hermes, an original song about women’s rights by Toshi Reagon called Freedom, and a reading of Allen Ginsberg’s poem, My Sad Self, by Hal Willner.

“We wanted to put together a collective that celebrated the diversity and ingenuity of New York City,” said M.A. Papper, Artistic Director of the Town Hall. “This venue has always been open to everyone. That’s why Town Hall has been the home and birthplace to so many landmark social, cultural and musical movements—because Town Hall’s founders believed in equality and inclusiveness.”

Built by a group of suffragists (The League for Political Education) fighting for women’s right to vote, the Town Hall opened on January 12, 1921 as a meeting space to debate the important issues of the day. “The original intention was to build a speaker’s hall, but Town Hall’s principles [and acoustics] opened doors and fostered new ideas in music and arts,” noted Papper. “Marian Anderson performed here twenty years before she was allowed to sing on most of the major opera stages because of racial barriers. So many activist artists performed here, and continue to perform here, from Pete Seeger to Paul Robeson to Judy Collins, and pioneers and experimenters—Dizzy Gillespie, Nina Simone, Glenn Gould, Meredith Monk…”

Musically, “when we are talking about the history of The Town Hall, we are basically talking about the entire history of New York music,” said Steven Bernstein, a New Yorker who’s a prominent member of the downtown jazz scene. “Think from Fletcher Henderson on—Duke Ellington, Louie, Tin Pan Alley, the Brill Building, Machito, Mario Bauza, Tito Puente, early New York rock, bebop, Bob Dylan, Philip Glass, Leonard Cohen, Laurie Anderson, all the way to Afrika Bambaataa.”

That said, “the idea is not to recreate music that has been presented at The Town Hall, but to pay tribute to it and use it as repertoire,” says Bernstein. “It doesn’t make sense trying to recreate Fletcher Henderson or Afrika Bambaataa because you can listen to their records. What we want is to sound like the Town Hall Ensemble playing this music today.”

In addition to concert events, The Town Hall Ensemble will offer educational programs to New York City public school students through the Town Hall Foundation. Beyond educating and entertaining students about the city’s rich cultural history, the educational programs look to inspire students to be engaged citizens in the city’s future. Programs will include class curriculums taught by The Town Hall’s Arts in Education teaching artists, culminating in special live performances for New York City public school students. Future programs will also feature smaller groups made up of Ensemble members that will visit public schools to perform and teach not only cultural and musical history but lessons on a century’s worth of musical styles and instrumentation. For more information, visit thetownhall.org

THE PERFORMERS

Steven Bernstein | MUSICAL DIRECTOR

An impactful presence on the New York scene over the past 30 years, trumpeter, composer, arranger and bandleader Steven Bernstein has immersed himself in such a wide array of music with his bands Sexmob (his primary vehicle for exploring the slide trumpet, a rare instrument that he picked up in a Woodstock guitar shop back in 1977), Millennial Territory Orchestra, Diaspora Soul, Universal Melody Brass Band, Spanish Fly, Blue Campfire and the Butler-Bernstein Hot 9 that he defies easy categorization. A former member of the Lounge Lizards and Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble Band, Bernstein has also composed works for film, theater and dance in addition to doing arrangements for a diverse list of artists ranging from Lou Reed to Lee “Scratch” Perry, Allen Toussaint, Marianne Faithfull, Linda Ronstadt, Rufus Wainwright, Darlene Love, Mario Pavone, Bill Frisell, John Lurie and the Kansas City AllStars. His lengthy list of sideman credits includes recent recordings

by Laurie Anderson (Heart of a Dog), Roswell Rudd (Trombone for Lovers), Mostly Other People Do The Killing (Loafer’s Hollow), Antony and the Johnsons (Turning) and Nels Cline (Lovers). He also continues to perform with Ray Anderson’s Pocket Brass Band, Omaha Diner and the Kamikaze Ground Crew. During his recent residency at The Stone in NYC, he trotted out Sexmob, Millennial Territory Orchestra, Spanish Fly, Blue Campfire and Universal Melody Brass Band. Says the trumpeter-composer-arranger of his modus operandi in all of his wide-ranging musical situations: “I’m trying to present this way of looking at music where you can do a Jelly Roll piece, then a Leonard Cohen piece, then an Ornette Coleman piece, then a Duke piece and then a piece by The Band.

And it’s not even about it being eclectic, it’s just music. Let’s play it.

Here’s a chart, let’s go!”.

SPECIAL GUESTS Lisa Fischer

Lisa Fischer’s music is an organic gumbo of progressive rock, psychedelic soul, and African, Middle Eastern, Caribbean rhythms and classical influences. In performance, her band re-invents songs by Led Zeppelin, Amy Grant, Little Willie John, and The Rolling Stones as well as Lisa’s originals. After decades bringing raw soul to the stage for The Rolling Stones, Sting, Tina Turner and Nine Inch Nails, Lisa is emerging as the most inventive and heartfelt interpreter of classic rock songs working today. Lisa won her first Grammy for “How Can I Ease The Pain,” from her 1991 album So Intense. With a hit song on the radio and a Grammy win, a major solo tour seemed inevitable, but Lisa was on the road, backing either her beloved mentor Luther Vandross or The Rolling Stones. Lisa was a legend in the music industry; everybody loved her sound.

But she never put her own band together, never toured under her own name.

Now, after years of supporting other artists, electrifying the world’s largest arenas with the power of her voice, Ms. Lisa Fischer has finally taken center stage, thanks in part to the Oscar-winning 2013 documentary Twenty Feet from Stardom, which also earned her a second Grammy.

Will Hermes

Will Hermes is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, a longtime contributor to National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” and author of Love Goes To Buildings On Fire: Five Years In New York That Changed Music Forever - a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice in 2011. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, Slate, Spin, and The Believer, and has twice been featured in the Da Capo Best Music Writing series. He tweets at @WilliamHermes.

Eric Mingus

“operatic, unhinged, punk and terrifying”- Timeout Eric Mingus is a bit of a polymath when it comes to his music. Trained classically as a vocalist, he sings the blues like nobody’s business, improvises with the best of them, and plays a fierce bass. Creates worlds with his words whether he speaks or sings. When famed producer Hal Willner needs that special moment in his multi artist shows, he calls Eric. Hubert Sumlin loved the way Eric brought “soul” to the blues. When Elliott Sharp wanted a vocalist for his project Terraplane, he knew Eric was the right voice to bring the contemporary blues to his musical vision. Eric has a unique sensibility when bringing music to film, and has scored two documentaries on boxing for ESPN. His passion to write and perform poetry was encouraged by Allen Ginsberg and Jack Micheline. One of Eric’s most recent successes is the creation of his unique take on the Who’s Tommy. Working with Hal Willner, Eric brought a brilliant reworking of a rock classic to the Adelaide Arts Festival (2015)

SPECIAL GUESTS Cont’d Toshi Reagon

Toshi Reagon is a one-woman celebration of all that’s dynamic, progressive and uplifting in American music. Since first taking to the stage at age 17, this versatile singer-songwriter-guitarist has moved audiences of all kinds with her big hearted, hold-nothing-back approach to rock, blues, R&B, country, folk, spirituals and funk. The New York Times described her blend as “…a love of mixing things up…[her] vocal style ranges from a dirty blues moan to a gospel shout to an ethereal croon.” Her live performances, in particular, aren’t just accessible; they’re irresistible. And Toshi Reagon loves her audiences. Leading her renowned band–BIGLovely, launched in 1996–she instantly connects, inspires and empowers. Over nearly 30 years, Reagon has collaborated and shared stages with notable colleagues such as Nona Hendryx, Elvis Costello, Ani DiFranco, Pete Seeger, Dar Williams, Lizz Wright, Me’shell Ndegéocello and Marc Anthony Thompson (aka Chocolate Genius). Her performances with her mother, Bernice Johnson Reagon–civil rights activist and founder of the a cappella group, Sweet Honey in the Rock–are legendary. Toshi Reagon composes, conducts, directs and produces in theater, film, television and dance. She has performed at the White House in a civil rights tribute, Madison Square Garden for her godfather Pete Seeger’s birthday environmental benefit concert, and has been honored with an Out Music award, a Black Lily Award for Outstanding Performance, a New York Foundation for the Arts award for music composition, and by the National Women’s History Project.

Hal Willner

Hal Willner is a music producer working in recording, film, television, theater & live events. He is best known for his multi-artist concept albums, beginning with Amarcord Nino Rota: Various Interpretations from the Films of Federico Fellini (1981) and for providing Sketch Music Adaptations for Saturday Night Live almost since its inception. Willner produced Bill Frisell’s Grammywinning album Unspeakable, as well as albums for Marianne Faithfull, Lou Reed, Macy Gray, Terry Southern, Lucinda Williams, Laurie Anderson, William S. Burroughs and many others, as well as definitive box sets covering the recorded history of Lenny Bruce and Allen Ginsberg. Films on which Willner has served as a supervising music producer include Robert Altman’s Shortcuts and Kansas City, Wim Wenders’ Million Dollar Hotel, Gus Van Sant’s Finding Forrester, Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, Julian Schnabel’s Berlin, Adam McKay’s Talladega Nights and, most recently, Joseph Cedar’s Norman and Oren Moverman’s The Dinner.

THE ENSEMBLE

Lakecia Benjamin | Trombone

A streetwise New York City native born and raised in Washington Heights, Lakecia Benjamin has become one of the most highly sought-after players in soul and funk music. She first picked up the saxophone at Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, after which she joined the renowned jazz program at New York’s New School University. By that time, she was already playing with renowned jazz figures like Clark Terry and Reggie Workman, which led to gigs and tours with a wide array of artists such as Rashied Ali, the David Murray Big Band, Vanessa Rubin and James “Blood” Ulmer. With her deep jazz roots, she was soon in demand as an arranger and horn section leader, landing stints with such acclaimed artists as Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Macy Gray, the Roots, and Anita Baker.

Luis Bonilla | Trombone

If ever an artist could be called an octopus, Luis Bonilla is it. The California raised, Costa Rican trombonist, composer and arranger has sought out, taken in and mastered an incredible array of musical styles. His success as a sideman with such greats as McCoy Tyner, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Bowie, Tom Harrell, Freddie Hubbard, Astrud Gilberto, Willie Colon and Toshiko Akiyoshi attests not only to the skill and variety of Bonilla’s talent, but also to a mind restlessly committed to exploring some of the most complex and demanding music of our time.

Zach Brock | Violinist

Heralded as “the pre-eminent improvising violinist of his generation,” Zach Brock is an violinist and composer whose music draws on the traditions of jazz, classical, world, and popular music. Zach received his first Grammy Award in 2017 for his work on Snarky Puppy’s album Culcha Vulcha and Downbeat Magazine named him the ‘Rising star Violinist’ of 2013. His acclaim as a bandleader has grown through appearances at venues such as Carnegie Hall and festivals like “Tudo é Jazz” in Brazil, while his reputation as a sideman has spread through his work with legendary bassist Stanley Clarke, contemporary instrumental super-group Snarky Puppy, and jazz masters Phil Markowitz and Dave Liebman. Zach has made ten recordings as a leader or co-leader and is the first violinist to record for the venerable Dutch jazz label Criss Cross. Zach has also represented the U.S. Department of State as a Musical Ambassador in the Solomon Islands, has performed as a featured soloist for two Sundance Festival feature film scores, and is currently an “Artist In Residence” at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Marc Cary | Keys

Jazz pianist, keyboardist, producer and composer Marc Cary holds tight to his roots in Washington, D.C.’s go-go music scene, but they represent only one element among the myriad. Cary’s interests run from Indian classical to Malian music to hip-hop. He started his career working with Betty Carter, a legendary vocalist famous for drawing soul and sincerity out of her bands, and went on to work with Roy Hargrove, Dizzy Gillespie, Erykah Badu, Shirley Horn, Stefon Harris, Q-Tip, and Abbey Lincoln.

Nels Cline | Guitar

Guitar explorer NELS CLINE is best known these days as the lead guitarist in the band Wilco. His recording and performing career - spanning jazz, rock, punk and experimental - is well into its fourth decade, with over 200 recordings, including at least 30 for which he is leader. Cline has received many accolades including Rolling Stone anointing him as both one of 20 “new guitar gods” and one of the top 100 guitarists of all time. Cline’s most recent release, Lovers, out now on Blue Note Records, is a collection of “mood music” over 20 years in the making. Beyond Wilco, Cline performs in a duo project with jazz guitar prodigy Julian Lage in addition to a quartet The Nels Cline Four (that includes Lage plus bassist Scott Colley and drummer Tom Rainey). Cline also performs in CUP, a duo with wife and musical collaborator Yuka Honda (Cibo Matto) and leads The Nels Cline Singers (featuring Scott Amendola, bassist Trevor Dunn and Cyro Baptista). @nelscline

Natalie Cressman | Trombone

A sublimely talented young trombonist and vocalist versed in jazz, Brazilian music and the Afro-Cuban tradition, Bay Area-born Natalie Cressman gained fame as a member of Phish leader Trey Anastasio’s solo project and work with Nicholas Payton and Wycliffe Gordon. Still in her early 20s, Cressman’s musical pedigree is impeccable, growing up as the daughter of vocalist Sandy Cressman and Santana trombonist Jeff Cressman. When her dream of being a ballet dancer was derailed by an injury, she committed to music completely, and hasn’t looked back. A virtuosic instrumentalist and gifted singer, she has made good on her prodigious beginnings, working with a diverse range of artists including salsa icon Pete Escovedo’s Latin Jazz Orchestra, world music giant Jai Uttal and the Pagan Love Orchestra, and iconoclastic multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum. Her latest release,The Traces EP, is a stunning session that demonstrates Cressman’s far-reaching interests, combining jazz, pop, R&B, and world music into an intoxicating hybrid.

Marika Hughes | Cello

Marika is a cellist, singer, composer, song-writer and teacher. A native of NYC, Marika was exposed to a varied creative life from an early age. Her parents owned a jazz club on the Upper West Side and she was fortunate to enjoy an exciting classical music life as the granddaughter of the great cellist, Emanuel Feuermann. She was a regular on Sesame Street, was a member of New York Youth Symphony, spent summers at the chamber music camp, Greenwood, was a student at festivals in Europe and busked in NYC with her high-school string quartet. Marika received her B.A. from Barnard College in political science and cello performance at the Juilliard School, where she studied with Ardyth Alton. Shortly after completing her studies, Marika left NYC and moved to San Francisco, CA. It is there that she began to explore a musical life outside of the western classical tradition of her childhood training. In addition to playing in the Berkeley and Santa Rosa Symphonies, she joined Quartet San Francisco and enjoyed performing and recording for a host of artists and films including, Tom Waits, Mr. Bungle, Xiu Xiu, Santana and Finding Nemo.

JT Lewis | Drums

JT Lewis has performed/recorded with over 200 artists from all genres from the Jazz greats such as Stanley Turrentine, Roy Ayers, Herbie Hancock, Lena Horne, and Dave Sanborn, to the Pop icons such as Tina Turner, Sting, Lou Reed, Marianne Faithfull, Elvis Costello, Whitney Houston, Debbie Harry, Garland Jeffreys, and Vanessa Williams, to the Jazz revolutionaries such as Don Pullen, David Murray, Henry Threadgill, Marc Ribot, Sonny Sharrock, Pete Cosey, Bill Laswell, Kip Hanrahan, and many more. JT has been holding down the drum chair for Vanessa Williams for 20 years and counting. He is currently co-leader of the Avant Metal Jazz band “HARRIET TUBMAN”, featuring Melvin Gibbs (Bass) and Brandon Ross (Guitars)

Pedrito Martinez | Bass

Pedro Pablo “Pedrito” Martinez was born in Havana, Cuba. He settled in New York City in the fall of 1998 and, by 2000, he had been awarded the Thelonius Monk Award for Afro-Latin Hand Percussion and was featured in the documentary film, Calle 54. Pedrito has recorded or performed with Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Paquito D’Rivera, Bruce Springsteen, and Sting and has contributed, as a percussionist and vocalist, to over 50 albums. Mr. Martinez was also a founding member of the highly successful, Afro-Cuban/Afro-Beat band, Yerba Buena, with which he recorded two albums and toured the world. Pedrito’s career as a leader began in 2005 with the formation in NYC of The Pedrito Martinez Group. The group’s Grammy-nominated first album was released October, 2013 and was chosen among NPR’s Favorite Albums of 2013 and The Boston Globe Critics Top Ten Albums of 2013. Habana Dreams, PMG’s second album, was released in June 2016. Guests include, Ruben Blades, Isaac Delgado, Wynton Marsalis, Descemer Bueno, Roman Diaz, Angelique Kidjo, and Telmary Diaz. Accolades for Habana Dreams include #1 Latin Jazz Album in NPR’s Jazz Critics Top Jazz Albums for 2016 and being named among Boston Globe World Music Albums for 2016.

Lenny Pickett | Tenor, Clarinet

Lenny Pickett is currently the bandleader for NBC’s Saturday Night Live, where he has played the saxophone in the house band since 1985. He composes music for dance and theater including two collaborations with filmmaker Frederick Wiseman (Welfare: The Opera and more recently Titicut Follies: The Ballet). His concert music has been performed by the Kronos Quartet, the New Century Saxophone Quartet, and The Borneo Horns, among others. Lenny also contributed compositions for recordings by Alan Ginsberg and William Burroughs, and he teaches in New York University’s Jazz Studies Program.

Scott Robinson | Reeds

One of today’s most wide-ranging instrumentalists, Scott Robinson has been heard on tenor sax with Buck Clayton’s band, on trumpet with Lionel Hampton’s quintet, on alto clarinet with Paquito D’Rivera’s clarinet quartet, and on bass sax with the New York City Opera. On these and other instruments including theremin and ophicleide, he has been heard with a cross-section of jazz’s greats representing nearly every imaginable style of the music, from Braff to Braxton. Primarily a tenor saxophonist, Scott once placed directly below the great Sonny Rollins in the DownBeat Readers Poll. Scott has been heard numerous times on film, radio and television, and his discography now includes more than 250 recordings. A busy traveller, Scott has performed in some fifty-five nations, once completing tours on five continents in a threemonth period. He has performed in such diverse and prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, the Village Vanguard, the Library of Congress and the Vienna Opera House. His performances for dignitaries worldwide have included a U.S. Presidential Inauguration and a command performance honoring the birthday of the king of Thailand. Scott’s group was selected to be the closing act at the Knitting Factory’s Sun Ra Festival in New York City. Scott has also written magazine articles and liner notes, and was an invited speaker at the Congressional Black Caucus Jazz Forum in Washington, D.C.

Ricardo Rodriguez | Bass

Ricardo “Ricky” Rodriguez was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where he also started his music studies. He received his Bachelor of Music in Classical Bass performance under the tutelage of professors Federico Silva and Jose García at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico in 2004. Having mastered classical music, Ricky moved to New York City to experiment and increase his musical development in different musical style: Jazz. He took private lessons with two of his bass heroes, Mr. Larry Grenadier and Mr. Scott Colley.

Since then, Ricky has performed with some of the giants in Latin Jazz today.

These included performances with legendary jazz icons such as: Ray Barretto, Endel Dueño, Giovanni Hidalgo, Jerry González, Chuchito Valdéz, Tony Lujan, Erik Figueroa trio, Mandy Visoso and his orchestra, as well as memorable performances with masters such as: Branford Marsalis, Danilo Pérez, David Sánchez, and Ignacio Berroa.

Bria Skonberg | Trumpet

Canadian singer, trumpeter and songwriter Bria Skonberg has been described as one of the “most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation.” (Wall Street Journal). Recognized as one of 25 for the Future by DownBeat Magazine, Bria Skonberg has been a force in the new generation of jazz with her bold horn melodies and smoky vocals, and adventurous concoctions of classic and new. Bria is signed to Sony Music Masterworks’ OKeh Records and released her debut LP in September 2016, Bria, which won a Canadian JUNO award and made the Top 5 on Billboard jazz charts.

She collaborated again with producer Matt Pierson, as well as multi-Grammy winner Gil Goldstein, for her second Sony album, With A Twist, released May 2017. Noted as a millennial “shaking up the jazz world,” (Vanity Fair), Bria Skonberg has played festivals and stages the world over, including New Orleans Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, and hundreds more.

SUSTAINING MEMBERS Mr. & Mrs. Louis Aidala

David Fuchs

Paul Miles

Sofie Annunziata

Carmen Gaito

Andrew Miltenberg

Phyllis Barasch

Yvette Geary & Robert Astrowsky

Nobuko Narita

Lori Benton

Kathleen Germann

Dorinda J. Oliver

Howard Berman

Michele Gerstel

Catherine Patterson

Jane Bra

Barbara Gottlieb

Catherine Randolph

Patricia Brown & Steve Rifkind

Patricia Green

Rita Robbins

Collin Burns

Agnes Gund

Rhoda Rothkopf

Ralph Buultjens

Fran & Richard Habib

Kathleen Rosenberg

Alexander & Karen Callender

Jill & Martin Handelsman

Zita Rosenthal

Elinor & Ian Ceresney

Priscilla H. Hoffman

Lynda & Robert Safron

Leona Chanin

Sandy & Alfred Horowitz

Reshma Saujani

Dr. Stuart Chassen

Fern Hurst & Peter Rubin

Roberta Schechter

Gloria & Irwin Cohen

Anne Marie Iannizzi

Roberta Schleicher

Penny & Marvin Cohen

Dr. Elizabeth Iannizzi

Howard Schliff

William Costigan

Stephen C. Jacobs

Patricia M. & Brian T. Shea

Trina DasGupta

Henry Johansson

Victor & Susan Shedlin

Sharon Dunn & Harvey Zirofsky

Robert Kaufman

Shamina Singh

Robert Dwyer

Patti Kenner

Kimberly Smith

Betty W. Ellerin

Eric Krasnoff

Madhu Southworth

Robert E. Evanson

Paul Kronish

Paige Price & Nevin Steinberg

Scott Evenbeck

John Kuehn

Judy & Michael Steinhardt

Hazel & Russel Fershleiser

Jacqueline & Bruce Leffler

Larry Unger

Caryl Field

Ivy Beth Lewis, The IV Fund

George Wein

Carol Foti

Jay L & Robin K. Lewis

Nancy Whitson-Rubin

Dr. Charlotte Frank & Marvin Leffler

Paul & Florence Rowe Libin

Christine Williams

Matthew Frank

Erica & Paul Linthorst

Robert F. Wright

Michael & Anne Frank-Shapiro

Arthur Loeb Foundation

David Zaza

Adrienne Frosch

Colleen Lynch

Zegar Family Foundation

Goldfarb & Fleece

Carol Marks & Tom Wirtshafter

Susan Zohn

Dori Fromer & Harley Frank

Karl Marquadt

Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, PC

Pamela Milam

*$500-999 **$1,000 +

MAJOR GIFTS, CORPORATE, FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT This program is supported, in part, by public funds from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with The City Council. We would like to thank the following foundations, corporations, and government institutions for their support: The Achelis and Bodman Foundation The Actors Fund Affiliated Advisors Bank of America Bruce Weber and Nan Bush Foundation Cohn Foundation Consolidated Edison Company of New York

Israel Consulate

The Rudin Foundation

Jewish Communal Fund

The Shubert Foundation

JP Morgan Chase

The Shubert Organization, Inc.

Jujamcyn Theaters

John Ben Snow Memorial Trust

Edythe Kenner Foundation

Theatre Refreshments

Lewis QVC Trust

Ticketmaster

Local One

Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund

S&P Global

Joyce and George Wein Foundation, Inc.

Mex-Am Cultural Foundation

Council Member Daniel Garodnick

Morgan Stanley

Daryl and Steven Roth Foundation

Nederlander Organization

Robert Evanson

Nelson Foundation

Ford Foundation

Nesenoff & Miltenberg, LLP

Dr. Charlotte K. Frank

New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council

Garber Atlas Fries & Associates Anne and Gordon Getty Foundation John Gore/Key Brand Entertainment William T. Grant Foundation The Hearst Foundations, Inc. The Hurst Foundation

Wenner Foundation Zegar Family Foundation

New York State Council on the Arts Henry Nias Foundation The Pinkerton Foundation The Reed Foundation Pamela and Richard Rubinstein Foundation

Town Hall has played an integral part in the electrifying cultural fabric of New York City for more than 90 years. A group of Suffragists’ fight for the 19th Amendment led them to build a meeting space to educate people on the important issues of the day. During its construction, the 19th Amendment was passed, and on January 12, 1921 The Town Hall opened its doors and took on a double meaning: as a symbol of the victory sought by its founders, and as a spark for a new, more optimistic climate. In 1921, German composer Richard Strauss performed a series of concerts that cemented the Hall’s reputation as an ideal venue for musical performances. Since, Town Hall has been home to countless musical milestones: The US debuts of Strauss, and Isaac Stern; Marian Anderson’s first New York recital; in 1945, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker introduced bebop to the world; Bob Dylan’s first major concert in ‘63; and much much more.

Learn more. Visit thetownhall.org/tours

THE TOWN HALL FOUNDATION The Town Hall’s mission is to provide affordable world-class entertainment by new and established artists to a diverse audience; to inspire the youth of our community to appreciate and participate in the arts at The Town Hall and in schools through our Educational Outreach Program; and to preserve and enhance The Town Hall as a historic landmark venue for the enjoyment and cultural enrichment of generations to come.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES President Tom M. Wirtshafter

Treasurer Andrew T. Miltenberg

Vice President Alfred H. Horowitz

Secretary Phyllis Putter Barasch

Vice President Bruce S. Leffler Trustees Phyllis Putter Barasch Robert E. Evanson Anne Frank-Shapiro Alfred H. Horowitz Stephen C. Jacobs Henry Johansson Ted Lambert Bruce S. Leffler Marvin Leffler Andrew T. Miltenberg Rita Robbins Madhu Southworth Nevin Steinberg Tom Wirtshafter Susan Zohn LIFE TRUSTEES Leona Chanin Eugene J.T. Flanagan Claire G. Miller Robert F. Wright

THE TOWN HALL STAFF Executive Director Lawrence C. Zucker Artistic Director M.A. Papper Director of Administration, Subscriptions & Membership Helen Morris Director of Development Jacqueline Maddox Director of Education and Community Outreach Emma Klauber Publicist Cindy Byram Publicist, Broadway by the Year® Sam Morris

President Emeritus Marvin Leffler Advisory Council Kathleen Rosenberg, Chair Nancy Berman Shauna Denkensohn Sandy Horowitz Fern Hurst Elizabeth Iannizzi Claire Miller Zita Rosenthal Rhoda Rothkopf Arts in Education Advisory Council Dr. Charlotte K. Frank, Chair Michael Fram Dr. Sharon Dunn Gary Hecht Ernest Logan Dr. Lisa Mars Dr. Eloise Messineo Dr. Pola Rosen Leona Shapiro Manuel Urena George Young Program Manager Sara Minisquero Administrative Assistant Britni Montalbano Chief Engineer Steve Franqui Box Office Manager Angel Rodriguez

WARNING

The photographing or sound recording of any performance or the possession of any device for such photographing or sound recording inside the theatre without the written permission of the management is prohibited by law. Violators may be punished by ejection and violations may render the offender liable for monetary damages.

FIRE NOTICE

The exit indicated by a red light and sign nearest to the seat you occupy is the shortest route to the street. In the event of fire or other emergency please do not run, WALK TO THAT EXIT. Thoughtless persons annoy patrons and endanger the safety of others by lighting matches or smoking in prohibited areas during the performances and intermissions. This violates a city ordinance and is punishable by law.

-FIRE COMMISSIONER

DIRECTORY OF THEATRE SERVICES ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: 212.997.1003

Mon-Fri 9:30 am to 5 pm, for rental & membership info

BOX OFFICE: 212.840.2824

Mon-Sat 12 noon to 6pm. 24/7 Recording

TICKETMASTER: 800.982.2787

to charge tickets by phone.online Ticketmaster.com

LOST AND FOUND: 212.997.0113 CELL PHONE POLICY

Cell phones should be silenced prior to the performance as a courtesy to the performers and audience.

Lobby Refreshment by Theatre Refreshment Company of NY

House Manager Richard Looney Technical Director Bill Dehling Art & Design Leia-lee Doran Digital Media Manager Alex Koveos

123 W 43RD ST NYC | THETOWNHALL.ORG