Celebrate the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters April 24-26, 2025

Washington, DC—The National Endowment for the Arts, in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will honor the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters at a series of public events April 24-26, 2025, in Washington, DC, culminating in a tribute concert on Saturday, April 26, hosted by Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz Jason Moran and featuring performances by and in honor of the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters. The 2025 award recipients were announced last summer; they are: Marshall Allen, Marilyn Crispell, Chucho Valdés, and recipient of the 2025 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy Gary Giddins.

The 2025 NEA Jazz Masters events include:

• Thursday, April 24 at 12:30-2:00 p.m.—Chucho Valdés will lead a masterclass with Howard University music students (open to the public to observe)
• Saturday, April 26 at 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.—Listening Party with the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters at NPR’s Headquarters (free but reservations are required)
• Saturday, April 26 at 8:00 p.m.—NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater (free but tickets are required) and available through a live webcast and radio broadcast 

See below for additional event details and information on how to reserve free tickets starting Friday, March 7.

Masterclass with 2025 NEA Jazz Master Chucho Valdés

On Thursday, April 24, 2025, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., 2025 NEA Jazz Master Chucho Valdés will lead a masterclass with Howard University music students. This will take place at the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts in the Recital Hall, room 3001, Howard University Main Campus, 2455 6th Street NW, Washington, DC 20059. The public is invited to observe and no registration is necessary (seating is first-come, first-served). Media who wish to attend this event should contact Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov.

NPR Listening Party with the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters

On Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., NPR will host a listening party with the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters at their headquarters at 1111 North Capitol Street, NE, Washington, DC, 20002. Co-hosted by NPR Music’s Felix Contreras and DC Jazz Festival President & CEO Sunny Sumter, this event will include conversations with the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters, featuring music from their careers to help tell the stories of their lives. This event is free and open to the public but reservations are required. Reserve tickets on the Kennedy Center’s website starting Friday, March 7, 2025, at 10 a.m. ET. Media who wish to attend this event should contact mediarelations@npr.org. 

2025 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert

Hosted by Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz Jason Moran, the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert will take place one-night-only on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. ET at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater at 2700 F St., NW, Washington, DC, and available through a live webcast and radio broadcast. 

The concert will feature performances by, and in honor of, the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters. Marshall Allen will lead the Sun Ra Arkestra. Marilyn Crispell will perform with 2020 NEA Jazz Master and bassist Reggie Workman. Chucho Valdés will perform with his ensemble, Chucho Valdés Royal Quartet, including Horacio Hernandez, José A. Gola, and Roberto Jr. Vizcaino Torre. In honor of Gary Giddins, David Murray will perform, alongside Russell Carter, Emma Dayhuff, and Marta Sánchez.

Ticket details:
Starting on Friday, March 7, 2025, at 10 a.m. ET, up to two tickets per person may be reserved for this free concert in person at the Kennedy Center Box Office, at kennedy-center.org, or by dialing 202-467-4600 or 800-444-1324. Reservation confirmations should be printed at home and will be valid until 7:45 p.m. the night of the concert. At 7:45 p.m., all unclaimed seats will be released and distributed through a ticket giveaway line based on availability.

Tickets for walk-up patrons will be available the night of the concert on a first-come, first-served basis to those in a giveaway line based on availability. Patrons who do not reserve tickets in advance are encouraged to arrive from 6:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. to receive tickets via the giveaway line. 

If you or a member of your party requires accessible locations and/or seating in the sign-interpreted and captioned section, please indicate your needs when making your reservation and upon picking up your tickets. Please contact the Accessibility Office at 202-416-8727 or access@kennedy-center.org if you have any questions or would like to request an accommodation.

Live webcast and radio broadcast details:
The 2025 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert will also be available to watch live via arts.gov and kennedy-center.org. An archive of the webcast will be available following the event at arts.gov. 

In addition, the following websites will also share the live webcast Blues Alley, BMI, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz Institute of Chicago, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Museum of American History, the New Jazz Listener, NPR Music, SJFAZZ, WBGO, WDCB, WRTI, and WZUM. (Subject to change.)

The following radio stations will share the radio broadcast of the event: SiriusXM’s Real Jazz channel (67), KBEM 88.5 (Minneapolis, MN), KFSR 90.7 (Fresno, CA), WBGO 88.3 FM (Newark, NJ), WGMC 90.1 FM (Rochester, NY), WPFW 89.3 FM (Washington, DC), and WZUM 88.1 FM (Pittsburgh, PA). (Subject to change. Radio broadcasts may occur at later times; contact the radio stations for more information.)

Media who wish to request press access to the concert should contact Liz Auclair (auclaire@arts.gov) and Brendan Padgett (BEPadgett@Kennedy-Center.org). Photos from all of the events will be available for media use upon request.

About the NEA Jazz Masters

Since 1982, the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded 177 fellowships to great figures in jazz, such as Kenny Barron, Terence Blanchard, Carla Bley, Dave Brubeck, Terri Lyne Carrington, Betty Carter, Stanley Crouch, Roy Eldridge, Paquito D’Rivera, Quincy Jones, Sun Ra, Dianna Reeves, and Henry Threadgill. The NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships are awarded to living individuals on the basis of nominations from the public including members of the jazz community. Visit the NEA’s website for detailed information.

Explore the NEA’s website for photos and bios of all of the NEA Jazz Masters, as well as archived concerts, video tributes, podcasts, and more than 350 NEA Jazz Moments audio clips. The National Endowment for the Arts has also supported the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program, an effort to document the lives and careers of nearly 100 NEA Jazz Masters.