Proclaimed “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade” by Vanity Fair, and “a living legend” by The New Yorker, Fred Hersch has long defined jazz’s creative edge in a wide variety of settings. An improviser, composer, educator, bandleader, collaborator, and recording artist, Hersch has more than three dozen albums to his credit as a leader or co-leader, for which he has consistently won an international array of awards and lavish critical praise, including twelve Grammy nominations.
On September 28, we welcome Hersch to the sanctuary of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church for an evening-length solo recital. The concert, featuring work from throughout his storied career, benefits the inaugural season of arts programming at St. Stephen’s in 2018-19.
Prior to the concert, at 6:30pm, Hersch will read from and sign copies of his memoir, Good Things Happen Slowly. Published in 2017, Good Things Happen Slowly was featured on NPR’s Fresh Air and was named one of 2017’s Five Best Memoirs by The Washington Post and The New York Times. It was also named 2018 Book on Jazz of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association.
Supporter level tickets can be purchased for the reading and concert and include a copy of Good Things Happen Slowly; tickets are also available for the concert only.
A committed educator, Hersch has taught at New England Conservatory, The Juilliard School, The New School and The Manhattan School of Music. He is currently a Visiting Artist at Rutgers University. He holds honorary doctorate degrees from Grinnell College and Northern Kentucky University. Hersch's influence has been widely felt on a new generation of jazz pianists, from former students Brad Mehldau and Ethan Iverson to his colleague Jason Moran, who has said, "Fred at the piano is like LeBron James on the basketball court. He’s perfection.”
St. Stephen’s first season of presented work will continue through spring 2019 with a solo performance series, The Future of Jazz Piano, curated for Philadelphia audiences by Hersch, that highlights a new generation of critically-acclaimed jazz pianists: Glenn Zaleski, Sullivan Fortner, and Micah Thomas.
Tickets for all concerts in St. Stephen’s 2018-19 season are on sale HERE