On Saturday, May 3rd, Flushing Town Hall will bring the genre-defying sound of The Brandee Younger Trio to Queens. Known for her fusion of classical, jazz, soul, and funk, Younger has redefined the harp in contemporary music. In 2022, she made history by becoming the first black woman to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition.
“Jazz Harp?! How fabulous! We are absolutely thrilled to welcome the extraordinary Brandee Younger Trio to our stage,” says Ellen Kodadek, Flushing Town Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director. “Flushing Town Hall has a long and proud history of presenting incredible jazz artists, and Brandee Younger continues that tradition with her groundbreaking artistry. We’re deeply grateful for funding support from Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation’s Jazz Touring Network, which helps bring remarkable musicians like her to new audiences.”
See Brandee Younger perform at her Tiny Desk Concert.
Brandee Younger is revolutionizing the harps’ role in modern music. Over the past fifteen years, she has worked relentlessly to stretch boundaries and limitations for harpists. In 2022, she made history by becoming the first Black woman to be nominated for a Grammy® Award for Best Instrumental Composition. That same year, she was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award and later, the winner of the 2024 NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Jazz Album for her latest album Brand New Life. Ever-expanding as an artist, she has worked with cultural icons including Common, Lauryn Hill, John Legend, Pharoah Sanders and Christian McBride. Her original composition “Hortense” was featured in the Netflix Concert-Documentary, Beyoncé: Homecoming and in 2019, Brandee was selected to perform her original music as a featured performer for Quincy Jones and Steve McQueens’ Soundtrack of America. Brandee is often noted for standing on the shoulders of the very women who ushered in the harp as a clear and distinct voice in jazz & popular styles - particularly Detroit natives Dorothy Ashby & Alice Coltrane. Her latest album, Brand New Life, builds on her already rich oeuvre, and cements the harp’s place in popular culture. As the title of the album suggests, Brand New Life is about forging new paths–artistic, personal, political, and spiritual. Younger's music is imbued with a sense of purpose and respect of legacy, creating a larger platform for the harp to reach newer and wider audiences than ever before. In addition to performing and recording, Brandee Younger is on the faculty at New York University, Steinhardt School and The New School College of Performing Arts.
With tickets priced at $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and students w/ID, and $18 for members, Flushing Town Hall rivals Manhattan’s clubs in affordability. The venue, operating in a historic and beautiful Landmarked building, is easily accessible by the 7 train. Learn more and purchase your tickets at https://www.flushingtownhall.org/event-detail.php?id=810.
For more information on Flushing Town Hall’s upcoming programs and events, visit: https://www.flushingtownhall.org/fth-presents
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All gifts of $50 or more give you exclusive Flushing Town Hall Circle of Friends membership with benefits including a Smithsonian membership, ticket discounts, and more! Donations in any amount are appreciated to support the artists and the nonprofit cultural organization as they continue to provide programming and entertainment across New York and the world.
https://www.flushingtownhall.org/circle-of-friends
Brandee Younger’s concert is funded and supported by Mid Atlantic Arts.
Flushing Town Hall is a not for profit organization and receives major support from the National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; New York State Assembly Member Ron Kim; The City of New York, Mayor Eric Adams; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Commissioner Laurie Cumbo; Queens Borough President Donovan Richards; The New York City Council, Speaker Adrienne E. Adams and New York City Council Members Sandra Ung, Tiffany Caban, Shekar Krishnan, Linda Lee, Vickie Paladino, Lynn Schulman, and Julie Won; Howard Gilman Foundation, Guru Krupa Foundation, Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation; Lily Auchincloss Foundation; Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation.
About Flushing Town Hall
Flushing Town Hall (FTH), a Smithsonian affiliate, presents multi-disciplinary global arts that engage and educate the global communities of Queens and New York City in order to foster mutual appreciation. As advocates of arts equity since 1979, we support local, immigrant, national, and international artists, developing partnerships and collaborations that enhance our efforts. As a member of New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), we serve to restore, manage and program the historic 1862 landmark on behalf of the City of New York. FTH celebrates the history of Queens as the home of Jazz, by presenting the finest in Jazz performance. We are committed to arts education and hands-on learning, for the arts-curious, arts enthusiasts, and professional artists. We serve one of the most diverse communities in the world and strive to uphold the legacy of inclusiveness that has defined our community since the Flushing Remonstrance of 1657.
Flushing Town Hall is a proud member of the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), a collective of 34 nonprofit museums, performing arts centers, historical societies, zoos, and botanical gardens across all five boroughs with a distinct private-public partnership with the City of New York and a commitment to serving all New Yorkers.
Land Acknowledgement:
Flushing Town Hall acknowledges that we are on the traditional land of the Matinecock People, one of the original tribes of New York, and the first people of Flushing, Queens. The Matinecock continue to live and work on this land to this day. Flushing Town Hall honors their elders who have stewarded this land throughout generations.
