Because in Pittsburgh, Jazz is Life. PITTSBURGH, PA — As MCG Jazz celebrates 40 years of preserving, presenting, and promoting jazz, the award-winning organization announces a milestone Anniversary Season that honors its legacy while spotlighting the artists shaping the future of the art form. For four decades, MCG Jazz has built an enduring home for jazz music — one that uplifts Pittsburgh as a keystone in the jazz community and welcomes audiences into a space where world-class performance meets shared cultural experience. The 2026–2027…
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Stage Set for 40th Anniversary. PITTSBURGH, PA — MCG Jazz closed its 39th Season last week ending with a remarkable 94% overall capacity for the subscription season concerts. This includes 11of the 20 regular season performances completely sold out! MCG Jazz Founder and Executive Producer states, “This past season brought many new jazz fans to our music hall to share cultural memories and enjoy a sense of belonging. I have not seen such passionate enthusiasm for the music since before the pandemic.” The MCG Jazz 40th Anniversary Season, opens…
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Lifetime Achievement Award Pittsburgh's Own Marty Ashby Receives Award Honoring Presenting in Jazz PITTSBURGH, PA | NOVEMBER 12, 2025 — Marty Ashby, Executive Producer of MCG Jazz, has been awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by DownBeat magazine, the world’s leading jazz publication. Ashby’s name appears on the cover of the November issue alongside a feature article celebrating his decades-long contributions to jazz. This honor comes at a milestone moment: MCG Jazz is embarking on its 40th anniversary, marking four decades of presenting world-class jazz in Pittsburgh…
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MCG Jazz continues to build momentum in its education programming with the help of two recent donations that support its after-school initiatives. Together, these contributions strengthen our organization’s ability to provide meaningful, hands-on music education to students across the region. Continued Partnership with the Find Your Light Foundation For the second year in a row, MCG Jazz has been awarded funding from the Find Your Light Foundation, receiving a $2,500 grant in 2026 to support its Tell Your Story program. 'Tell Your Story' gives students the…
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Recognized in the February 2026 Great Jazz Venues Guide,MCG Jazz Continues Its Global Legacy of Live Jazz Excellence. MCG Jazz has once again been named one of the world’s top jazz venues by DownBeat Magazine. DownBeat’s annual Great Jazz Venues Guide honors premier jazz clubs worldwide for artistic quality, acoustics, atmosphere, ambiance, and dedication to preserving and advancing the art form that is jazz. Included alongside amazing venues such as Caffè Vivace (Cincinnati), SJZ Break Room (San Jose), Doc’s Motorworks (Houston), Jazz Cave at the NJW (Nashville),…
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MCG Jazz Announces Season 38 -- The Season of Firsts Welcome to the 2024/25 Season of Firsts. Every performance will feature artist who have never performed at MCG Jazz or are long-time friends presenting a brand new project. Every concert will entourage you to experience the past, present and future of jazz. We have added pre-concert activities exploring our vast jazz archives and new concession options. Beginning in Fall 2024, MCG Jazz is launching an Artist-In-Residence program with pianist, composer and producer Ray Angry. Ray…
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The Manchester Bidwell Corporation podcast. In-depth conversations from Manchester Bidwell Corporation about art, music, workforce development, philanthropy and more. Hosted by MBC’s Director of Communications, Jonathan Zito, the wide range of topic experts, teachers, artists, students, alums, and more get an opportunity to share with the wider world the life-changing work that’s happening in Pittsburgh. Listen at: In Earnest Marty Ashby
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I had a wonderful time talking about Jazz, Modernism and Frank Lloyd Wright for the Fallingwater webinar on March 22, 2022. To watch the archive recording of the webinar, please go to, I played clips from the following songs during the presentation. The songs are listed by the song title, artist and the album title. Sing Sing Sing (with a Swing): Benny Goodman, The Essential Benny Goodman Body and Soul: Coleman Hawkins, Body and Soul In The Mood: Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. The…
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Hosted by Monika Herzig. Talking Jazz features conversations, stories, insights, and guided listening with today's jazz creators hosted by pianist, composer, author, and educator Monika Herzig. Our guests today are Marty Ashby and Ken Kimery from the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra talking about the "Bernstein Reimagined" project. Enjoy their insights into the arranging process and Bernstein's timeless music.
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MCG Jazz 35th Anniversary Season Restarts LIVE JAZZ in a New Concert Hall The concert season is a restart of programs that MCG Jazz was unable to present during the COVID-19 shutdown during 2020 and 2021 in the newly renovated concert hall. Upgrades to the concert hall will take place over the Summer of 2021 and will include new seats, an updated stage, new flooring, video projection, and accessibility upgrades. On September 24 and 25, the Yellowjackets will be the first artists to perform on…
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