Assistant Professor of Music Ellington Carthan headlines a sold-out performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m. As part of the Kennedy Center's Ellington 125 series celebrating the 125th anniversary of the birth of musical legend Duke Ellington, Carthan will narrate and perform with the Post Classical Ensemble a program titled, "Beyond Category: The Concert Music of Duke Ellington."
The concert is billed as a "journey through Duke Ellington's extraordinary yet little-known concert pieces." The Post Classical Ensemble, under the direction of Angel Gil-Ordóñez, will also be joined by Felix Contreras on the conga together with Carthan on the piano.
Carthan - whose namesake is none other than "Sir Duke" himself - joined the St. Mary's College of Maryland faculty in 2023, teaching music technology courses and directing the Jazz Ensemble. In 2021 he was an artist-in-residence at Strathmore, and in January 2022 he released his debut album, "Ellington Live: Volume 1."