An evening celebrating the vibrant and eclectic music of the Harlem Renaissance with Guildhall Big Band, Merton Music Foundation students, and author Kevin Le Gendre.

Join the Guildhall Big Band in a celebration of The Harlem Renaissance - an era that marked a major turning point in the cultural and artistic history of New York’s African American community.

Author and journalist Kevin Le Gendre guides the journey, narrating as we step back in time to the jazz clubs and cabarets of the 1920s and 1930s. His commentary weaves together the social, musical and historical threads that shaped this extraordinary period.

Guildhall Big Band and students from Merton Music Foundation, directed by Matt Skelton, lead a musical exploration of a time when jazz, blues and gospel flourished and became emblematic of the era.

The music of the Harlem Renaissance spoke to the struggles and triumphs of the African American experience, offering a powerful platform for artistic expression.

Performers

Guildhall Big Band
Matt Skelton director
Merton Music Foundation
Kevin Le Gendre narrator