IN-PERSON

The Schomburg Center’s annual Women’s Jazz Festival (WJF) is celebrating 30 years of centering Black women in the field of jazz. The Women’s Jazz Festival was founded in 1992 by then Harlem resident and jazz vocalist, Melba Joyce. Year after year, the festival and its curators have brought together musicians, dancers and a melding of musical genres to deliver an exciting series of concerts featuring some of the best-known and emerging talent by women in jazz today. The 2022 festival will be held in person on March 7, 8, 14 and 21.

Join us for an evening with the innovative compositions and vocals of Renée Neufville and Laurin Talese. Laurin and Renée were scheduled to appear at the 2020 Women’s Jazz Festival just before the pandemic and subsequent quarantine closed everything down. We are excited to have them back for a double portion of jazz with Laurin Talese opening the evening and Renée Neufville setting us to flight.

Renée Neufville

Renée Neufville, known as the lead songwriter and co-member of the 90s duo Zhané, which released hits like “Hey Mr. DJ,” “Groove Thang,” “Sending My Love,” and “Request Line” that were all Top 10 R&B hits. Most recently she was the keyboardist and vocalist in the late Roy Hargrove’s RH Factor. In 2015, Neufville dropped her popular single “Watching Me” and in 2018, was featured on the single “Something to Believe” in honor of Hargrove.

Take a listen:  Something to Believe (For Roy) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KRAg3NLuxY

Laurin Talese

Laurin Talese has been captivating audiences with her pure tone and poignant lyrics since childhood. A Cleveland, Ohio native, Laurin was classically trained at the Cleveland Institute of Music and later studied classical and jazz voice at the University of the Arts where she received a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance. Her debut album, Gorgeous Chaos, released in 2016, features a stellar line up of musicians and was met with wide acclaim. She has shared the stage with international recording artists such as Bilal, Gregory Porter, Patti LaBelle, Robert Glasper, Vivian Green. Ms. Talese’s talents have allowed her to travel around the globe, performing in a host of internationally renowned venues including the Newport Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in 2018 when Laurin won the seventh annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.

Take a listen: Laurin Talese – “Love Poems” [Official Video] https://youtu.be/XtC1Ovwb8lc

Visitors must wear a mask the duration of the program, in accordance with the Library policy. Patrons not wearing a face covering will not be permitted to enter. In order to attend in-person programs at the Schomburg Center, patrons age 12 and older will be required to show proof of their full COVID-19 vaccination status, and patrons age 5-11 will be required to show proof of at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

#WJF2022 #SchomburgLive

TICKETS

General Admission $35 // Schomburg Society Member* $25

*Enter promotional code to reveal membership ticket . For more information, contact the Schomburg Society Office at schomburgsociety@nypl.org or 212.491.2252

PUBLIC NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER By registering for this event, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending an in-person program at The New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold The New York Public Library, its Trustees, officers, agent and employees liable for any illness or injury.

Women’s Jazz Festival 2022 Schedule

• March 7 – Celebrating Her Voice with Alicia Waller & The Excursion

• March 8 –  Curators Salon with festival founder Melba Joyce and past festival curators Toshi Reagon, Aja Burrell Wood, Brandee Younger, and moderator Robin Bell-Stevens, Jazzmobile Inc.

• March 14 – An Evening of Flow and Flight with vocalists Renée Neufville and Laurin Talese

• March 21 – Salute to Black Women Composers with bassist and band leader Endea Owens

OPEN SEATING Ticketed guests will begin seating 30 minutes before start time.

GUESTS Please note that holding seats in the Langston Hughes Auditorium is strictly prohibited and there is no food or drinks allowed anywhere in the Schomburg Center.

AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING Programs are photographed and recorded by the Schomburg Center. Attending this event indicates your consent to being filmed/photographed and your consent to the use of your recorded image for any all purposes of the New York Public Library.

PRESS Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Leah Drayton at leahdrayton@nypl.org.

Please note that professional video recordings are prohibited without expressed consent.

PUBLIC NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER

By registering for this event, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending an in-person program by The New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold The New York Public Library, its Trustees, officers, agent and employees liable for any illness or injury.

COVID PROTOCOLS FOR IN-PERSON SCHOMBURG CENTER PROGRAMS

We are excited to welcome you back to the Schomburg Center in person. As we gather together, your health and safety is of the utmost importance.

As of July 6, at all our open locations, visitors must wear a mask the duration of the program, in accordance with the Library policy. Patrons not wearing a face covering will not be permitted to enter.

In order to attend in-person programs at the Schomburg Center, patrons age 12 and older will be required to show proof of their full COVID-19 vaccination status, and patrons age 5-11 will be required to show proof of at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Proof of a negative COVID-19 test will not be accepted as an alternative to vaccination. Masks covering one’s nose and mouth are required in order to enter the Library, and must stay on for the duration of one’s time in the building.

Proof of vaccination may include:

• NYC COVID Safe App NYS Excelsior Pass
• CDC Vaccination Card (or photo)
• NYC Vaccination Record
• An official immunization record from outside NYC or the U.S

If you received the vaccine outside of the U.S., please be sure to visit the link with more information below.

If you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or suspect you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, please stay home.