Duke Ellington Sacred Concert

Join the Connecting Chords Music Festival for a presentation of selected works from Duke Ellington’s acclaimed Sacred Concerts. Participating artists include the Western Michigan University Jazz Orchestra, alto/mezzo soloist Tiffany Gridiron, and other area performers.

Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts are a trilogy of extended musical compositions by the American jazz composer and bandleader. These performances were created between 1965 and 1973 as expressions of Ellington’s faith through the fusion of jazz improvisation, big band orchestration, gospel vocals, choral elements and spiritual themes.

These works marked a departure from Ellington’s secular jazz repertoire toward sacred music, incorporating influences from his earlier pieces while emphasizing praise, worship and personal testimony. They stand as some of his most ambitious late-career projects performed in ecclesiastical settings worldwide.

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This engagement is supported by a John Stites Jazz Event Award from the John Stites Jazz Artist Organization, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) honoring the memory of John Stites and his passion for jazz music.

This event is co-sponsored by the Stucki Family Foundation (in loving memory of Heidi E. Stucki) and the Kalamazoo Community Foundation Arcturus Fund (on behalf of Betty Upjohn Mason).

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Celebrate the unifying power of the world’s music at the 2026 Connecting Chords Music Festival, running from August 14 – November 29. Established in 2001, the Festival features an incredible variety and quality of musicians every year – if you know, *you know*!

Learn more about the Festival at ccmusicfest.com.