By K.D. Norris
With the much-anticipated Christian McBride’s jazzy WinterFest Music Festival back on the schedule, St. Cecilia Music Center announced today an initial 2021-22 concert schedule — beginning with the Sam Bush Band bringing their folk-rock sounds to town in October — as the music center “fully intends to bring live-audience concerts back to Royce Auditorium.”
Live in-person concerts have been suspended since March 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions but initial plans have St. Cecilia featuring more than a dozen evenings of performances by jazz, folk and chamber music artists in what will be the music center’s 138th season.
But St. Cecilia executive and artistic director Cathy Holbrook said she is not only looking for live acts on the stage but live people in the audience.
“We are thrilled and thankful to begin again in 2021-2022 with live concerts featuring most of the artists who were scheduled to appear this past season and had to be sidelined due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Holbrook said in supplied material. “We so missed seeing our loyal supporters and music lovers in person and we’re looking forward to hosting a year of celebration with live music again.”
The St. Cecilia folk series kicks off the season, but chamber and jazz will not be far behind.
The Acoustic Café Folk Series will feature six concerts including the Sam Bush Band on Oct. 6, Rodney Crowell on Nov. 12, Leo Kottke on Nov. 19, the Milk Carton Kids on Dec. 2, 2021 and Watkins Family Hour on December 16. In the new year, singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin will perform in the spring on May 12, 2022 — and more Acoustic Cafe Folk concerts may be announced later.
However, one summer 2021 Acoustic Cafe Folk Series concert is currently planned as a stand-alone concert and will feature Marc Cohn appearing on Aug. 21 — with tickets currently available.
SCMC and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will celebrate its 10th anniversary season of partnership CMS players will perform three concerts: “From Prague to Vienna” on Nov. 18 (in a program planned for April 2020 but cancelled due to COVID-19) with CMS co-artistic directors David Finckel and Wu Han on stage. The program also featured two 2022 concerts, “Romantic Perspectives” on Jan. 27, and “The Jazz Effect” on March 31.
The jazz series’ headline event will be WinterFest, featuring seven-time Grammy-winning jazz bassist McBride “with some of his most talented musical collaborators for a three-evening festival in Royce Auditorium,” Feb. 24 -26, 2022.
Other artists scheduled for 2022 as part of the jazz series will include saxophonist Joshua Redman on Jan. 20, Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater together with phenomenal jazz pianist Bill Charlap on March 10, and acclaimed trombonist, composer and producer Delfeayo Marsalis with his Uptown Jazz Orchestra on April 14.
“These great artists are looking forward to getting back out on tour to perform in front of live audiences and to bring music back to concert stages in the U.S. and worldwide,” Holbrook said. “We are looking forward to this new season, especially in light of the inability to host live audiences within our beautiful hall last season.”
Subscription tickets for the 2021-22 series are now on sale, with individual concert tickets to go on sale June 1. For more information visit scmc-online.org.
