The 27th Annual Ella Fitzgerald Music Festival

Join the City of Newport News to celebrate city native and “First Lady of Song” Ella Fitzgerald during the 27th Annual Ella Fitzgerald Music Festival. We will be alive with incredible national artists, all honoring Ella’s wide-ranging and ageless talent.

Pianist, accordionist and composer Ben Rosenblum has traversed a truly unique musical path, one that has seen him perform alongside world-class musicians across more than twenty music genres and twenty-five countries, lead bands at prestigious venues across the world, all while maintaining a signature, melodic musical voice. Rosenblum’s journey has taken him on tours with Grammy-winning pop artist Rickie Lee Jones and Juno-winning contemporary Indian singer Kiran Ahluwalia. He’s played Brazilian choro with Ephrat Asherie Dance and Brazilian forró with The Late Night Show’s Nêgah Santos and famed forró band Forró in the Dark. His roots in jazz have led to an over ten-year relationship with Grammy-winning bassist Curtis Lundy, performing at festivals alongside jazz luminaries Bobby Watson, Sean Jones and Warren Wolf. He has appeared with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on accordion, and as a guest soloist on piano at Carnegie Hall’s Stern-Perelman Auditorium with Maestro Reona Ito’s New York Harmonic Band. Throughout it all, Rosenblum has always maintained the same priority - to tell a compelling story with his music, reaching the hearts of his audience and connecting on an emotional, intellectual and spiritual level.

Friday, April 25 | 7:00pm | Peter Collins with Taylor G. | $30

Hailing from Newport News, VA, Taylor G. was born into music. Singing since she was a toddler, she honed her craft in school choirs, church, and under the mentorship of military music instructors. Inspired by legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Amy Winehouse, Chrisette Michele, and Lauryn Hill, she blends jazz fusion with soul, creating expressive, genre-blurring music.

Taylor G.’s songs explore themes of perseverance, mental health, and self-discovery, aiming to connect and inspire. She has collaborated with artists like Crystal Aikin, Samara Joy, and Samoht, with a standout moment being her background vocals for Samara Joy. Overcoming imposter syndrome, she remains driven by her belief that music has the power to uplift and unite.

With aspirations to tour internationally and chart her original music, Taylor G. dreams of collaborating with Yebba, H.E.R., Samara Joy, and others. Offstage, she finds inspiration in nature, research, and art. Whether performing or creating, she stays true to herself—fearlessly pushing artistic boundaries while leading with love.

Singer. Songwriter, and Musician, Peter Collins has emerged as a new force in music with a sound that is an eclectic mix of R&B, Soul, Pop, Folk and Jazz; in addition to breaking down traditional genre boundaries with a sincerity and tenderness that will take your breath away. Every note he sings tells a story as he masterfully weaves through soulful melodies.

New York born, Newark raised, Peter began singing very young, growing up in a musical family, and taking after his father who is also a singer. Peter developed ambitions to be a professional singer and musician while attending college as he utilized music as a means to cope and navigate challenges in his life. Peter began posting videos of himself covering songs on his various social media accounts and Youtube. Shortly after, people fell in love with him, his voice, and his music.

Peter’s voice has so many layers, and can do anything from his unmatched lyrical phrasing to his profound knowledge of his instrument. Peter is technically refined in vocals, he shows multiple dynamic skills, an immense breath support and stamina, vigorous head voice, expansive connected range, extreme agility, impressive control, and a good musicality. The way he is able to transfer from his chest to head voice is just mesmerizing.

Peter Collins is a master class that can’t be taught. He stands out as an artist, not just for having one of the most uniquely beautiful voices, but for a genuinely peaceful presence in his writing and performance. Peter’s rare, intimate acoustic performance is simply not one to be missed!

Check out Peter on Instagram and all social media at @petercollinsmusic

Saturday April 26 | 7:00pm | Jazzmeia Horn with Sharp Radway | $35

Sharp Radway is a pianist, prolific composer, arranger, recording artist, and author residing in New York City. He remains in demand throughout the country and abroad. He is a protégé of Dr. Randy Weston. Sharp is a formidable and seasoned bandleader, with decades of experience heading various groups of his own. He served as music director, pianist, and arranger for The Celebration of Lionel Hampton Big Band and The New York City Ska Orchestra. In addition to playing the piano he is also a prolific composer and arranger, having composed over 1,000 pieces.

Sharp has appeared in film with Mos Def, Beyonce Knowles, Cedric the Entertainer, and several others in the major motion picture Cadillac Records. He also acted and performed in the historic Off-Broadway play The Connection under the direction of Judith Malina.

In addition to being a seasoned performer he is also author of the book Musicianship 101(What They Don’t Tell You In School), published by Outskirts Press. In addition to lecturing and conducting seminars centered around his book, Sharp has decades of experience teaching extensively, and currently continues to enjoy teaching a roster of both professional and non-professional musicians of all ages. He has performed in a litany of music festivals and venues both domestically and internationally and remains highly in demand.

Named by her jazz loving grandmother, Jazzmeia Horn was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1991. She grew up in a close church-going family singing gospel music.

Ms. Horn graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, which was attended by other great artists such as Roy Hargrove, Norah Jones, and Erykah Badu. In 2009, she enrolled at The School of Jazz at The New School in New York City.

Ms. Horn won the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition and, shortly after, was signed by Concord Records. In 2017, she released her debut album, A Social Call, which was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Ms. Horn continued to tour nationally and internationally, honing her vocal, performance and writing skills, to get across her message about the global need for love and social change in the world. In 2019, she released Love and Liberation which also received a Grammy nomination. The following year, she published her book, Strive From Within: The Jazzmeia Horn Approach, while recording her big band album, Dear Love.

Dear Love, an album of encouragement through poetry and spoken word addressing the aspects of her community, her love and herself, was released in September 2021.

All while performing and writing, Ms. Horn is teaching students and conducting outreach programs across the globe through The Jazz Horn International Vocal Initiative.

Combination tickets for April 25th and April 26th are available for $62 each.