The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) invites you to join us for Jazz at the Kramer! A music series in partnership with Paul Carr’s Jazz Academy of Music presenting a free evening of jazz at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery & Music Room on the second Wednesday of every month.
Admission is FREE but advanced registration is required due to limited capacity. Kindly be aware that reservations are limited to 2 tickets per person. For group reservations, feel free to contact us directly at publicart@creativemoco.com.
** Please Note: Outside food and beverages are not permitted in the gallery with the exception of water.
Second Wednesdays: Jazz at the Kramer featuring Vocalist Sharón Clark and Pianist Chris Grasso
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Second Wednesdays: Jazz at the Kramer featuring Bhagwan Khalsa on Bass + Eric Byrd on Piano and Chris Latona on Piano + Andrew Latona on Guitar.
Jazz at the Kramer
Event Listing
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
*NEW START TIME* 6:30 p.m. at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room
Join us for a night of jazz featuring vocalist and DC area-native Lena Seikaly, and jazz pianist and composer Chris Ziemba.
March Musicians
Lena Seikaly
A fixture on the D.C. jazz scene for over 15 years, vocalist and DC area-native Lena Seikaly is already making her mark in national and international jazz circles as a revivalist of traditional jazz vocals, as well as an innovator in contemporary vocal jazz styles. She was one of eleven semi-finalists for the prestigious 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Vocals Competition in L.A., is an alum of the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program in DC, the Jazz Aspen Snowmass program directed by Christian McBride, and the Strathmore Artist-in-Residence program in Maryland. Both as a bandleader and featured artist, Lena has headlined at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai (China), the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Strathmore Music Center, Blues Alley, the Hamilton, West Virginia Public Radio’s Mountain Stage, Sidney Harman Hall, various Smithsonian venues and DC’s famed Westminster Church, as well as the Elkhart Jazz Festival (Elkhart, IN), Mel Bay Jazz Festival (St. Louis, MO), Chestertown Jazz Festival (Chestertown, MD), DC Jazz Festival (Washington, DC), and Center City Jazz Festival (Philadelphia, PA). She has performed alongside Byron Stripling, Christian McBride, Sean Jones, Cyrus Chestnut, Norman Simmons, Walter Blanding, Michael Feinstein, Duduka da Fonseca, and various big bands including the USAF Airmen of Note, U.S. Army Blues, Columbus Jazz Orchestra, Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, Capitol Bones Big Band, Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra and the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra.
Visit Lena’s Website: https://lenaseikaly.com/
Follow Lena on Instagram!
Chris Ziemba
Chris Ziemba is a jazz pianist, composer, and educator based on the East Coast. He holds Bachelors of Music in Jazz and Contemporary Media as well as Music Education from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with pianists Harold Danko and Paul Hofmann. He also holds a Masters of Music in Jazz and Contemporary Media from Eastman. Before leaving Rochester to establish himself in New York City, Ziemba won first place in the 2011 Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition. In New York, he earned an Artist Diploma in Jazz Studies from The Juilliard School, where he studied with pianist Frank Kimbrough, famed for his work as a leader as well as with the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra. In 2013 he recorded Chakra with the Ted Nash Big Band. He has also performed with the Grammy-winning Gil Evans Project, led by Ryan Truesdell. Other highlights of his time in New York include performances with such renowned artists as Kurt Elling, Carl Allen, Marcus Printup, Ron Blake, and Karrin Allyson, among others. In 2016, Ziemba released his debut album, Manhattan Lullaby. The album features his original compositions and arrangements, and also highlights saxophonist Michael Thomas, bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Jimmy Macbride.
In 2017, Ziemba became the pianist for the Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force Band based in Washington, D.C. He continues to regularly perform and record.
Visit Chris’ Website: https://www.chrisziemba.com
Follow Chris on Instagram!