What does it mean to be an American today? That is the question posed by the curator, pianist and producer Lara Downes in Declaration: Songs of Democracy, Voices of Hope, featuring world premieres by three major composers. Valerie Coleman presents Life, a work for solo piano; Arturo O'Farrill offers the Liberty; and Christopher Tin closes with The Pursuit of Happiness. These latter two compositions are performed by the American Composers Orchestra, under the baton of Eric Jacobsen, with the aid of a select collective of artists and bands who represent a wide range of the American experience. Guests will include jazz bassist Christian McBride, vocalists Kurt Elling and Aoife O’Donovan, and more to be announced.

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Declaration: Songs of Democracy, Voices of Hope

Lincoln Center

Fan favorite Arturo O’Farrill returns, this time with a small combo to perform a concert that brings the straight-ahead dimensions of O’Farrill’s jazz chops to Soraya audiences. While known for his Afro-Cuban roots and big band, O’Farrill is equally one of the most masterful and versatile jazz pianists with extensive command and stylistic range.

Arturo O’Farrill Trio

Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts

The annual Caramoor Jazz Festival offers the ideal environment for a celebration of jazz in all its brilliance! This highly anticipated event is infused with life by phenomenal artists performing in every available space across Caramoor’s lush gardens and distinctive open-air stages. Make it a family day of musical exploration, and cap it off with an unforgettable headlining performance by Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.

Jazz Festival

Venetian Theater at Caramoor

From his Grammy-winning compositions to his groundbreaking collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, and more, Arturo O’Farrill’s performances are a testament to his boundless creativity, which will make for an unforgettable night of Latin jazz that transcends borders.

Arturo O’farrill And The Latin Jazz Ensemble

Guild Hall

All instrumental students at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music participate in small-group improvisation ensembles to foster individual musical creativity. This ensemble is directed by Arturo O'Farrill.

Improv Ensemble directed by Arturo O'Farrill~Spring 2024 SJCM Improv Ensemble

Arnhold Hall

Juilliard Jazz Orchestra | The Afro-Cuban Music of Chico O'Farrill

The Juilliard School

The 2026–27 Jazz Series opens with its defining voice. Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra bring the full force of Afro-Cuban rhythm, modern jazz harmony, and big-band brilliance to the Concert Hall. Founded at Jazz at Lincoln Center and now celebrated internationally under O’Farrill’s leadership, the Orchestra represents jazz as a living, evolving art form—rooted in history, yet urgently contemporary. As Segerstrom Center’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence, O’Farrill anchors the season’s exploration of “Now,” demonstrating how jazz continues to absorb, respond, and reinvent. This opening-night performance sets the tone for a season driven by excellence, energy, and forward momentum.

Arturo O'Farrill & Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Step into a night of glamour, rhythm, and pure joy as Arturo O’Farrill transforms the Samueli Theater into a vibrant Latin dance club. Inspired by the legendary Copacabana, Tropicana, and the golden-age nightlife of Havana, New York, and Los Angeles, this playful, social evening invites audiences to move, mingle, and celebrate.

Arturo O'Farrill: Copacabana Nights

Billy Strayhorn’s A Lovesome Thing opens the evening with a lyrical melody drawn from the world of jazz. Pianist Lara Downes joins the orchestra for selections from “The Declaration Project,” with composers Valerie Coleman, Arturo O’Farrill, and Christopher Tin reflecting on the founding ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The program closes with Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture, where melodies shaped by blues and spiritual traditions flow through a rich orchestral setting.

Gershwin's Porgy & Bess

Toledo Museum of Art

Closing the season, Arturo O’Farrill revisits Rumba para Monk, honoring the groundbreaking 1989 recording by Jerry González and the Fort Apache Band. This vibrant reimagining celebrates the meeting point between Thelonious Monk’s angular brilliance and Afro-Cuban rhythm—an encounter that permanently expanded the language of jazz. Featuring O’Farrill and friends, the performance embodies the full arc of the season: legacy transformed through contemporary voice. As Artist-in-Residence, O’Farrill brings the journey full circle, connecting jazz’s past, present, and future in one electrifying evening.

Arturo O'Farrill

Events

Upcoming events

Sep 19, 2026

Arturo O'Farrill & Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra · Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Feb 19, 2027

Arturo O'Farrill: Copacabana Nights · Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Feb 27, 2027

Gershwin's Porgy & Bess · Toledo Symphony Orchestra

May 7, 2027

Rumba para Monk Revisited · Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Past events

Jul 1, 2026

Declaration: Songs of Democracy, Voices of Hope · American Composers Orchestra

Feb 5, 2026

Arturo O’Farrill Trio · The Soraya

About

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