Concert

Multitalented and manifold, the members of Worldwide Tuning Society grace the Alphabet City stage for a night of uniquely exuberant music. Inspired by global roots-music and grounded by serious experience within them, Worldwide Tuning Society is a collective of diverse international performing artists and musicians dedicated to elevating spirit through sound. 

Samuel Boateng returns to City of Asylum with the ADEPA ensemble to share his journey as a transnational African artist using music, visual art, film, and scholarship as his medium. ADEPA, is a multidisciplinary group of musicians who perform highlife, afrobeat, jazz, and modern African music, drawing from adowa, azonto, agbadza, funk, kete, and gospel.

This program is a part of the Eris Quartet’s 2023 spring tour, which centers around their program "Paintings, Songs, and Dances," a presentation of contemporary string quartet repertoire through the lens of interdisciplinary performance.

Presented in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Modern Languages, this concert celebrates the release of "Montréal Encore." The album is a collaborative international project of Pittsburgh singer-songwriter Christopher Mark Jones and Montreal poet Bernard Pozier.  

After being cooped up and kept away from the stage during the pandemic, the Dan Pugach Nonet makes a joyful return to City of Asylum to reconnect and reinstate that sense of community we have all been missing. The nonet is led by GRAMMY® nominated drummer and composer Dan Pugach.

In a much welcomed return, Aimée Allen takes the stage for a transformative night of jazz featuring song poetry and lively improvisation, as she performs selections from her newly released album, "Love & the Catalyst."

Anita Levels’ presents “ConverSing,” a presentation of thought, conversation, and music, exploring the origins of jazz music from the Black American experience.

In support of his project “Four for Mingus,'' AJ Johnson kicks off the first in a series of four concerts. These performances are dedicated to visionary musician Charles Mingus, centering on political and protest music, spirituality and self-reflection, Charles Mingus’ own expansion of the blues, and the inspiration he took from Duke Ellington.

HarmoniZing presents a new formation consisting of Mimi Jong (erhu), Huda Asfour (oud), and Bailey O'donnell (tabla). The trio shares a passion for intercultural collaboration, creating music mostly based on the Chinese, Arabic, and Indian traditions fused with today's global perspective.

This performance is part of the Stephen Philip Harvey Octet (SPH8) tour celebrating the release of their debut album, Elemental. This collection of music is inspired by the natural and spiritual elements of water, air, earth, and fire.

Jazz Poetry 2023 welcomes the master of rhythm, James Brandon Lewis, back to City of Asylum to kick off this festival of life. Accompanying James and his quartet in this overture are poets Terrance Hayes, George Abraham, and Cynthia Dewi Oka.

City of Asylum welcomes critically acclaimed Swiss-Albanian singer Elina Duni, who shares the stage with poets Mj Shahen, Yalie Saweda Kamara, and Oleksandr Frazé-Frazénko

We welcome back Elina Duni her second night of Jazz Poetry. She is joined by poets Ben Okri and Jorge Olivera Castillo, whose fresh performances serve to reshape and reimagine this compelling refrain.

The fourth night of Jazz Poetry presents a refreshing and lively collection of performances. Brazilian-American singer-songwriter Alexia Bomtempo, literary trailblazer Eileen Myles, Chicana poet and activist Rachelle Escamilla, and writer-in-residence Olena Boryshpolets supply a night of emphatic verse and sound.

In this program, we welcome renowned Hungarian saxophonist Mihály Borbély. He is joined by accomplished poets Ariana Benson, Gaia Rajan, and City of Asylum writer-in-residence Rania Mamoun.

Mihály Borbély returns for a second night of Jazz Poetry. He shares the stage with advocate and activist poets Cameron Awkward-Rich,Tabassam Shah, and City of Asylum writer-in-residence Anouar Rahmani.

The final week of Jazz Poetry Month begins with a deep breath, a respite ushered in by the Dyer Rosenbloom Kitamura Trio. They share the stage with acclaimed poets Sumita Chakraborty, Rosebud Ben-Oni, and Poet Laureate of Allegheny County, Doralee Brooks.

Violist Melanie Dyer returns for her second night of Jazz Poetry, this time amid the ranks of WeFreeStrings. The sextet is joined by poets Desiree C. Bailey and Roy G. Guzmán.

This program is the second in a series of three classical music concerts performed by the Clarion Quartet. This concert honors composer Erwin Schulhoff, a multi-faceted and multi-genre innovator in music, far ahead of his time.

As part of his project “Four for Mingus,'' AJ Johnson presents the second in a series of four concerts dedicated to visionary musician Charles Mingus. This concert will feature his music reflecting energetic black Christian worship practices and music reflecting Mingus' own self-reflection.

Jazz & Fly Fishing is a unique group of jazz musicians, adding a nuanced new genre to the  intersection of outdoor adventure and the arts. They are now embarking on their American tour, stopping at City of Asylum in addition to performing at clubs, festivals, fly shops, and river banks while documenting their adventures along the way.

Kente Arts Alliance presents a series of three energetic and engaging concerts focusing on the art and music of the African Diaspora. The first concert in this series presents the Winston Bell Quartet, who share the stage with spoken word artist Jacquea Mae.

This program is the first of three concerts in the “History of Cuban Music” series, curated, arranged, and performed by Hugo Cruz. All three concerts will combine musical performances, talks, and video and film excerpts.

This program presents a mid-album preview concert for Exetastes, an original jazz album from composer and vocalist, Laura Chu Wiens (AurallaurA)

This series builds on Yoko Suzuki’s ongoing projects to showcase the music of influential female jazz composers and leaders. Commemorating the tenth year since the passing of Marian McPartland, this concert will feature the arrangements of her original compositions and the songs she frequently played.

After some time away—a few years in New York and one in Switzerland— flutist, vocalist, and composer Alex Hamburger has returned to her roots and is ready to make some noise. This program is part of the CD release tour for her sophomore album "What If?"

This summer, the Kente Arts Alliance is presenting a series of three energetic and engaging concerts at City of Asylum, with special focus on the art and music of the African Diaspora. The second concert in this series presents the Howie Alexander Band, who share the stage with spoken word artist Leslie “Ezra” Smith. 

This program is the second of three concerts in the “History of Cuban Music” series, curated, arranged, and performed by Hugo Cruz. This concert spotlights the musical genres danz​​ón, cha cha cha, charanga, danzónete, and mambo. 

In this concert, we welcome back Brooklyn’s Kaleta & Super Yamba Band, fronted by Afrobeat and Juju veteran Leon Ligan-Majek (a.k.a. Kaleta).