MoCA\CT Presents: Etienne Charles

  Date: Sunday, March 8, 4-6pm

  General Admission: $50

  Senior: $40

  Student: $40

Discover the power of live jazz at MoCA\CT with Etienne Charles, Guggenheim Fellow, trumpeter, composer, and one of the most compelling voices in jazz today. Born in Trinidad, Charles has captivated audiences worldwide with his riveting blend of straight-ahead jazz, Caribbean rhythms, cinematic textures, and socially conscious storytelling — from Jazz at Lincoln Center to stages across the globe — and now he brings that same electrifying energy to Westport with his quartet for one afternoon only.

This is your chance to experience an internationally acclaimed jazz artist at the height of his powers. With his #1 JazzWeek album Creole Orchestra, commissions from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the New York Philharmonic, and France’s prestigious Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Charles delivers performances that engage, enlighten, and move audiences unlike anything else in jazz today. Seats are limited — secure your tickets today and be part of an unforgettable afternoon of world-class jazz at MoCA\CT

About Etienne Charles

Trinidad-born Etienne Charles is a performer, composer and storyteller who is constantly searching for untold tales and sounds with which to tell them. His lush trumpet sound, varied compositional textures and pulsating percussive grooves enable him to invoke trance, soothing and exciting listeners while referencing touchy and sometimes controversial subjects in his music. 

Highlighting marginalized communities and engaging with them has been his mission, evident with projects such as his Guggenheim Fellowship Project, Carnival: The Sound of a People Vol. 1, San Jose Suite, Creole Soul, Gullah Roots, Folklore and his latest commission, San Juan Hill – A New York Story. His concerts engage, enlighten, educate, and enrich audiences with energized multidisciplinary performance utilizing original composition, thematic improvisation, dance, short films and spoken word to create a holistic experience. A firm believer in music and performance as a tool for provoking thought and dialogue, Charles’s themes speak to the status quo while drawing parallels to history.

As an Afro-descendant, his work is actively connecting the diaspora and drawing lines to the regions at the roots of migrations, evident in his latest release, Creole Orchestra which spent 7 weeks at #1 on the JazzWeek chart this summer. His dedication to music as a tool for social uplift has seen him awarded by France with the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres medal (2024) as well as a Congressional Citation from the United States (2012). 

As a sideman he has performed with and/or arranged for Roberta Flack, Chucho Valdes, Marcus Roberts, Marcus Miller, Count Basie Orchestra, Frank Foster’s Loud Minority Big Band, Monty Alexander, Gregory Porter, Terri Lyne Carrington, René Marie, Paulette McWilliams and many others.  He has been commissioned as a composer and arranger by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (2025), Lincoln Center for the New York Philharmonic (2021), Savannah Music Festival (2017), Chamber Music America (2015 & 2021), the Charleston Jazz Orchestra (2012) and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble (2011).

He currently serves as Professor of Studio Music and Jazz at University of Miami Frost School of Music.

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Refund & Weather Policy

Tickets are transferable to another concert of your choice or other individuals. If a concert is cancelled due to weather conditions, tickets will be valid for the rescheduled date. Please consider the price of unused tickets as a donation. No refunds will be issued.