Ticket holders are invited to arrive at 7pm to enjoy a pre-show reception catered by The Fish House. Students are invited to claim one of the limited free tickets and join the post-show jam session.

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. His concerts engage, enlighten, educate and enrich audiences with energized multidisciplinary performance utilizing original composition, thematic improvisation, dance, 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.

Born in Trinidad, his work is actively connecting the diaspora and drawing lines to the regions at the roots of migrations, evident in his latest release, Live in San Francisco Vol. 1. As a sideman, Etienne he has performed with and/or arranged for Roberta Flack, Chucho Valdes, Marcus Roberts, Marcus Miller, Count Basie Orchestra, Monty Alexander, Gregory Porter, Terri Lyne Carrington, and many others. He has been commissioned as a composer and arranger by Lincoln Center for the New York Philharmonic, Savannah Music Festival and Chamber Music America. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Studio Music and Jazz at University of Miami Frost School of Music.

Jazz Encounters is made possible with the support of the Musicians Discount Center, Piano Music Center, Yamaha pianos and the Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.