(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- Kick off the new year with Jazz in the Loft, a South Orange Performing Arts Center concert series curated and hosted by Grammy-winning bassist John Lee. On Sunday nights, hear world-class artists from the region in the cabaret-style setting of the SOPAC Loft. The 2022 Jazz in the Loft series is dedicated to Lee Boswell-May, longtime curator of the program. Tickets are $20. All shows begin at 7:00pm.

January 9: Ty Stephens "Standard Tyme" featuring (the) SoulJaazz - A consummate multi-talented entertainer and performer, Ty Stephens has performed around the world, gaining an international audience with a cool, urban-tinged adult-contemporary sound, based on Jazz, Funk and R&B. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Ty Stephens is an award-winning singer-songwriter, entertainer and recording artist. He is also co-writer and original cast of From My Hometown, co-writer-producer, choreographer and star of the long-running Shades Of Harlem revue show and co-writer-production, choreographer and currently starring in the new off-Broadway hit On Kentucky Avenue.He has appeared on Broadway in the original productions of Sophisticated Ladies and Marilyn, An American Fable. He has recorded with industry legends Harry Belafonte, Peggy Lee, dance music icon Dan Hartmann, disco pioneer Nile Rogers, master drummer Baba Olatunji, renowned trumpeter Chuck Mangione, singer Gwen McCrae, Def Jam premier artist Alyson Williams, among others.

(Please note, out of an abundance of caution regarding Covid-19, capacity for this performance has been reduced to 50%.)

February 6: Mark Gross Quartet - Mark Gross has toured the world for over 30 years with Delfeayo Marsalis, Dave Holland, Mulgrew Miller, Nicholas Payton, Buster Williams, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, James Moody, Nancy Wilson, Freddie Hubbard, Jimmy Heath, John Lee, Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Charles Mingus Big Band, Cyrus Chestnut, Regina Carter, Lionel Hampton, Jimmy Cobb, and many others. Mark Gross has recorded on over a hundred Jazz recordings, and has released four CDs as a leader: Preach Daddy on King Records, Riddle of the Sphinx on J Curve Records, Blackside on Jazz Legacy Productions (JLP), and + Strings on MGQ Records. Currently Mark is the Director of Jazz Instruction at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, professor at Prins Claus Conservatoire in Groningen, Holland, and part-time lecturer at Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts.

March 6: Freddie Hendrix Quartet - Over the past two decades, Freddie Hendrix has become one of the most in demand trumpeters in Jazz, and beyond. Also an accomplished composer, arranger and educator, the Teaneck, New Jersey native’s skill and versatility have resulted in him working with a wide array of performers including the Count Basie Orchestra, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, the Christian McBride Big Band, the Roy Hargrove Big Band, the Heath Brothers, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys. A product of the esteemed Jazz program at William Paterson University, with a Masters in Jazz Studies and Performance from New Jersey City University, Hendrix also shares his knowledge and passion for the music. He has served as a faculty member at the Hartt School of Music at The University of Hartford, Connecticut, The New School in New York, and Jazz House Kids, in Montclair, New Jersey. 

April 10: Roseanna Vitro - Grammy-nominated artist Roseanna Vitro is a renowned vocalist specializing in Jazz. She has toured on every continent except Antarctica, representing the USA as a Jazz Ambassador for The US State Department, The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. In 2021, Roseanna announced her latest musical adventure, “Sing a Song of Bird,” featuring the music of alto saxophone icon, Charlie Parker. It is her 15th release, and it showcases her passion for expanding the Jazz repertoire with newly crafted lyrics, appealing to all audiences, rising to #20 in the USA and around the world on Jazz radio. Her love of Jazz history led her to teaching vocal Jazz at New Jersey City University (1998-2017) and The New Jersey Performing Arts Center Jazz for Teens Program (2000-2013), plus “Voices in Jazz” an interview column of the Jazz vocalists in www.JazzTimes.com magazine. Roseanna Vitro, resides in South Orange, New Jersey with husband Paul Wickliffe, an acclaimed recording engineer & published lyricist.

Covid-19: At this time, all SOPAC patrons are required to show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test and wear a mask. All current Covid-19 Precautions & Policies can be found at SOPACnow.org/Covid-19.

Since 2006, South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) has been serving as a premier performing arts center in the region. SOPAC offers innovative artistic and cultural experiences for diverse audiences in an intimate, inviting environment. The arts center hosts a variety of live performances, community events and education programs for all ages. SOPAC is home for Seton Hall University Arts Council’s performances, including the Classical Concert Series, Jazz ‘N the Hall performances and Seton Hall University Theatre productions. SOPAC programs are made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. The South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.