A special tribute to legendary composer and bandleader Duke Ellington will take place in this FREE, outdoor event is presented by The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts in collaboration with the American Tap Dance Foundation.

The celebration will be co-hosted by Mercedes Ellington—granddaughter of Duke Ellington and Founder and Artistic Director of The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts—and Tony Waag, Founding Director of the American Tap Dance Foundation.

The afternoon concert will feature a performance by The Duke Ellington Center Big Band (musical director Eli Yamin), delivering timeless Ellington compositions and beloved jazz standards. Joining the festivities will be a lineup of guest musicians, dancers, and vocalists, showcasing a vibrant fusion of jazz and tap dance that reflects Ellington’s profound influence on American music and the performing arts.

The cast for this special event includes dancers DeWitt Fleming Jr., AC Lincoln, Max Pollak, and Karen Callaway Williams. Featured vocalists are Marion Cowings, Nicholas King, Antoinette Montague, and Sharon K. Janda. Completing the program are stilt walker Mark Mindek and actor Miles Purinton.

This project is made possible in part with funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the following funding agencies: the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in partnership with the City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and the Howard Gilman Foundation. Creative Engagement is administered by LMCC.

The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which honors and preserves the legacy of Duke Ellington through performance and educational outreach. The Center focuses on scholarship, education, and documentation of accurate Ellington history, through performances connected to the legacy of Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (1899-1974). Considered one of America’s greatest composers with over 3,000 compositions, Duke Ellington is a seminal figure in the history of American music, renowned the world over.

The American Tap Dance Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of tap dance as an American art form. Through performances, education, archival initiatives, and annual awards, ATDF honors the art form’s past, supports its present, and nurtures its future. Duke Ellington was inducted into the ATDF International Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2017. Learn more at www.atdf.org