Join the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra (SJMO) Big Band for an evening celebrating Duke Ellington’s sacred concerts at the National Museum of American History!
On December 1, the SJMO is proud to present a re-creation of Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington’s second sacred concert to commemorate its 50-year anniversary.
Duke Ellington’s sequence of spiritual works were codified into a series of three large-scale pieces known as his “sacred concerts.” Divinely inspired, they were Ellington’s offering to God. Infused with gospel, jazz, choral, classical, blues, spiritual music, and jazz dance, Ellington cites these concerts as “the most important thing I have ever done.”
TICKET INFO
– $25 – Standard row seating
– $40 – Table seating (and one complimentary drink)
Purchase tickets here: http://s.si.edu/DecJazz
CONCERT INFO
– The museum’s Constitution Ave doors open at 6:45 p.m.
– The LeRoy Neiman Jazz Café Stand will be open and serving light fare and drink options for purchase starting at 6:45 p.m.
– Concert program begins at 7:30 p.m.
This program is part of the Sounds of Faith music series, a component of the museum’s Religion in America initiative and made possible by generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc. The initiative explores the nation’s unique religious development and myriad traditions as integral components of our shared history.
Image credit: Duke Ellington Sacred Concert, N.Y.C., perhaps, circa 1960-70. Duke Ellington Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
