Diego Rivera

Jazz is America’s music—and Duke Ellington was its number one creator. His work Black, Brown and Beige is an American masterpiece that set out to broaden a person’s—and a country’s—sense of history. Critics panned its premiere in New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1943, simply because it was ahead of its time.

Now, 80 years later, very special guest Audra McDonald will join The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, along with members of The Jazz Orchestra at Dr. Phillips Center, players from Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Bethune-Cookman University Concert Chorale to honor Ellington’s most significant work. This monumental evening will feature the professional world premiere of the orchestration of Black, Brown and Beige created at Ellington’s request.