(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents Diana Krall – Tour 2026 on Friday, March 20, 2026 at 8:00pm. Diana's unique artistry transcends any single musical style and has made her one of the most recognizable artists of our time. As The New York Times recently noted, Krall possesses "A voice at once cool and sultry, wielded with a rhythmic sophistication."
Krall is the only jazz singer to have eight albums debut at the top of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. To date, her albums have garnered two Grammy® Awards, 10 Juno® Awards, and have also earned nine gold, three platinum, and seven multi-platinum albums.
Born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, which is outside of Vancouver, Krall grew up in the western part of Canada and began studying the piano when she was four years old. By the time she was 15, she was performing jazz locally and, with the encouragement of her father, a stride pianist with a vast knowledge of such '20s and '30s keyboard masters as Fats Waller, James P. Johnson, and Earl Hines, she devoted herself to music.
"I think Dad had every recording Fats Waller ever made," she says, "and I tried to learn as many as I could."
Tickets start at $79 and are available for purchase online or by calling State Theatre Guest Services at 732-246-SHOW (7469). State Theatre Guest Services, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open by phone and email only, Tuesday through Friday from 11:00am to 5:00pm. For in-person purchases, Guest Services is open Tuesday through Friday from 12:00pm to 4:30pm. Additional ticket and transaction fees may apply.
Krall was still a teenager when she was awarded a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. After two years in Boston, she moved to Los Angeles, where she met her first jazz heavyweights, including bassist John Clayton, drummer Jeff Hamilton, pianist/singer Jimmy Rowles, and Ray Brown, the legendary bassist who served as her musical mentor. In 1993, the Montreal-based Justin Time Records released her debut album, Stepping Out. The following year, she signed with GRP Records and recorded Only Trust Your Heart, which featured Ray Brown on bass and Stanley Turrentine on tenor saxophone. Only Trust Your Heart also marked the beginning of her association with Tommy LiPuma, a collaboration that would continue until LiPuma's untimely passing in 2017.
Krall's success continued with her subsequent releases All for You, and Love Scenes but her watershed moment came in 1999 with the release of When I Look in Your Eyes, her first release for the historic Verve record label. The recording spent an unprecedented 52 weeks in the #1 position on Billboard's Jazz chart, won two Grammy® Awards, and went platinum in the U.S. and Canada. Krall's next album, The Look of Love, continued her international success and became a top ten seller on Billboard's Top 200 Album charts. Since then, she has released a string of recordings that have created an impressive body of work, including her critically acclaimed Turn Up The Quiet, which won two Juno Awards, including "Producer of the Year." Love Is Here To Stay found Krall collaborating with her long-time friend and colleague, Tony Bennett. It was recorded with the Grammy® Award-winning Bill Charlap Trio, and the stunning result is a subtle, sophisticated, and beautifully rendered love letter to The Gershwins' music and their status as one of the premier songwriters of the American popular standard. It is a masterclass in vocal delivery and phrasing, and the command that Bennett and Krall display of the material in both their duets and solo tracks makes it appear effortless, belying the honed skills of the vocalists. The duet tracks include "Love Is Here to Stay," "S'Wonderful," "They Can't Take That Away from Me," and "Fascinating Rhythm," among them.
Her album, This Dream Of You, has garnered critical acclaim from fans and press alike. This album is a loving conclusion of Krall's 25-year working relationship with Tommy LiPuma. Shortly before LiPuma's passing, the producer and artist discussed the abundance of great music recorded at their last sessions together. LiPuma was adamant that this music should be completed and issued. Krall and engineer, Al Schmitt therefore mixed and sequenced the album for the 2020 release and as such, honored their great and much-missed friend. From this release came the worldwide premiere of "Autumn In New York," a cinematic ode to the city, directed by Krall's long-time collaborator and friend Mark Seliger, offering a visual complement to Krall's loving and hopeful performance of the song.
Diana Krall's recordings have been included in several film soundtracks, and she has expanded upon her role as a performer to include songwriting, producing, and arranging, and has brought her talents to collaborate with many other artists, including Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennett. She tours extensively around the globe to sold-out audiences, appearing at premiere jazz festivals and concert halls throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
State Theatre New Jersey, a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, celebrated its 100th Anniversary after major renovations in December 2021. Originally built as a silent film and vaudeville palace, State Theatre's historic significance was honored when PBS featured it in its documentary series, Treasures of New Jersey. Having played a significant role in revitalizing New Brunswick—crowned "Jersey's Best Destination of the Year" for 2025 by Jersey's Best magazine—State Theatre resides in the heart of the city's arts district.
Today, State Theatre is the largest performing arts center in Central New Jersey and has welcomed more than six and a half million people through its doors since reopening as a nonprofit performing arts center in 1988. State Theatre New Jersey is a cornerstone of the cultural vitality of Middlesex County and averages a total economic impact on New Brunswick and the surrounding area of more than $18 million a year. The mainstage programs have included high-caliber artists such as Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Kevin Hart, Ringo Starr, Melissa Etheridge, John Leguizamo, Harry Connick, Jr., Peter Frampton, and Leanne Morgan. Program offerings include Broadway, orchestra, family, dance, comedy, rock/pop, jazz, Performances for Schools, and Sensory-Friendly Performances.
State Theatre New Jersey's programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund. For information on events, go to MiddlesexCountyCulture.com.
