Vocal legend Sheila Jordan will headline the CUNY Jazz Festival at CCNY, May 5-6. Photo by Jimmy Bruch.
Vocal legend Sheila Jordan, guitar hero Pete McCann, the acclaimed Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra, and piano master Fred Hersch will perform at the 2022 CUNY Jazz Festival, May 5-6, at The City College of New York.
The 22nd annual event, a gathering of bands and ensembles from across the CUNY system, takes place at CCNY’s Aaron Davis Hall, Theatre B, located at 135th Street and Convent Avenue in Manhattan. All performances are free and open to the public.
Sheila Jordan, one of the most unique and influential voices in jazz is the festival’s headliner. She will also offer master classes 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hersch will run a class at 4 p.m. Friday.
The festival opens 12:30 p.m., May 5, with a performance by the CCNY Faculty Jazz Ensemble, itself comprised of internationally acclaimed jazz artists. Performances both evenings go until 10 p.m.
Other participants include ensembles from CCNY, Hunter College, Brooklyn College, Borough of Manhattan Community College, and the College of Staten Island. Student groups perform Thursday (1:30 - 6 p.m.) and Friday (12 noon - 6:15 p.m.).
The Thursday evening concert features Pete McCann with the CCNY Small Jazz Ensembles at 7:30 p.m. followed by the 17-piece Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra. The final Gala Concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday, with a performance by one of the City College graduate jazz ensembles. At 8:30 p.m. Jordan will close the festival with two-time Grammy-award winner Alan Broadbent on piano and Harvie S on bass.
“NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan is one of the most influential and unique vocalists in jazz history. A past CCNY faculty member and long-time friend to our program, it is a thrill to have Sheila,” said Mike Holober, CCNY music professor and the festival director. “With other performances from Pete McCann, a master class from the great Fred Hersch, and a performance from the acclaimed Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra, I am thrilled.”
About the 2022 Festival
Now in its 22nd year, the CUNY Jazz Festival has evolved into the most important event on the CUNY jazz calendar. City College has enjoyed being the host and sponsor of an event that is in the spirit of the joy of performing and thriving in an educational environment.
The festival is presented by The Simon H. Rifkind Center for the Humanities and the Arts at City College and the City College music department, with assistance from the City College Center for the Arts.
About the City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Emsi puts at $1.9 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Jay Mwamba
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jmwamba@ccny.cuny.edu