Jim Carroll, artistic director

GRAMMY Award-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis joins the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra in this special concert. An exceptionally versatile musician, Marsalis is a band leader, featured classical soloist, and composer, winning three GRAMMY Awards, Tony, and Drama Desk Award nominations for his work as a composer on Broadway, a citation by the National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master, and a Primetime Emmy nomination for best original score. Marsalis formed his own quartet in 1986, and after more than three decades of existence with minimal personnel changes the Branford Marsalis Quartet is revered for its kaleidoscopic range of both original compositions and jazz and popular classics. A frequently featured classical soloist, Marsalis has performed with acclaimed orchestras around the world and his legendary performances with the Grateful Dead and collaborations with Sting have made him a fan favorite in the pop arena. As a composer, Marsalis has scored films including Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, starring Oprah Winfrey, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, and the recent Netflix film Rustin starring Colman Domingo. The Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra is made up of the D.C.-area’s finest musicians and is led by Founder, Artistic Director, and virtuoso alto saxophonist Jim Carroll. This performance will also feature vocalist Darden Purcell, George Mason University’s jazz program director. 

This performance is appropriate for all ages.

Tickets: $60, $51, $36; half-price for youth through Grade 12