Acclaimed vocalist Lizz Wright is a steward of American music bringing brilliant color and vibrancy to singular original works and compositions by some of the greatest songwriters of our time. Wright has garnered widespread attention as one of the most venerable popular singers of her generation through the release of five critically acclaimed albums. From her breakout Verve debut album Salt to her album GRACE on Concord Records, Wright lives life filled with beautiful possibilities centered on the power of song.

From his beginnings as one of Chicago’s most thrilling young trumpeters, to his current status as an internationally renowned musician, composer and bandleader, Marquis Hill has worked tirelessly to break down the barriers that divide musical genres. Contemporary and classic jazz, hip-hop, R&B, Chicago house, neo-soul—to Hill, they’re all essential elements of the profound African-American creative heritage he’s a part of. “It all comes from the same tree,” he says. “They simply blossomed from different branches.”

Ari Brown is a Chicago based composer, arranger, tenor saxophonist, pianist and educator. He has performed with many music greats including Anthony Braxton, Muhal Richard Abrams, Lou Rawls, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Elvin Jones, Andrew White, Della Reese and Billy Eckstein. He has made numerous recordings and has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the Chicago premiere of the Anthony Davis Opera “Malcolm X.” He was a featured performer in a clarinet solo in Universal Studios’ motion picture “The Babe.”