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Celebrating Her Voice: Women of the African Diaspora

March 14, 2022 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm CST

Join soprano vocalist and bandleader Alicia Waller for an adventurous performance that will celebrate some of the most iconic female voices of the African Diaspora: Cesária Évora (Cape Verde), Abbey Lincoln (USA), and Miriam Makeba (South Africa). This program is presented as opening night of the annual Women’s Jazz Festival at the historic Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in advance of International Women’s Day (March 8, 2022).

Alicia Waller & The Excursion is a jazz fusion ensemble led by vocalist and bandleader, Alicia Waller. The quintet (voice, guitar, bass, keys, drums) is dedicated to an ambitious pursuit of sonic exploration—performing a range of musical forms from original compositions to a diverse array of global music cultures. The ensemble’s original work, composed primarily by Waller, is imagined as a testament to the globalization of Black American music vernaculars, incorporating influences from jazz, soul, samba, R&B, funk, and hip-hop.

The Schomburg Center’s annual Women’s Jazz Festival (WJF) is celebrating 30 years of centering Black women in the field of jazz. The Women’s Jazz Festival was founded in 1992 by then Harlem resident and jazz vocalist, Melba Joyce. Year after year, the festival and its curators have brought together musicians, dancers and a melding of musical genres to deliver an exciting series of concerts featuring some of the best-known and emerging talent by women in jazz today. The 2022 festival will be held in person.

Date & Time:

  • Monday, March 7, 2022 at 6 PM CT | 7 PM ET
  • Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 6 PM CT | 7 PM ET
  • Monday, March 14, 2022 at 6 PM CT | 7 PM ET
  • Monday, March 21, 2022 at 6 PM CT | 7 PM ET

Learn more and get tickets here.