Medieval Radiance & Incarnate Jazz: Light Gathering

Incarnate Jazz returns for another captivating concert, blending medieval and modern music in a reflection of the natural world. Performed beneath the Neo-Gothic arches of the Church of the Incarnation in NYC, this illuminating event invites you to experience the harmony of ancient and contemporary sounds in a breathtaking setting. Medieval chant, sequences and motets segue to music by jazz luminaries Hoagy Carmichael, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Wayne Shorter, among others.

Featured Performers: Sarah Pillow and Amber Evans, voice; Marc Wagnon, vibraphone; Maria Grand, saxophone; Joey Curreri, trumpet; Saadi Zain, bass; Mike Clark, drums.

Light Gathering: In the universe, every element, every star, every atom is constantly sending out waves of light—some visible, most hidden. From gamma rays, to the brilliance of sunlight, to the subtle glow of infrared, everything in existence shines. In this concert, we gather that light, pulling from the vast spectrum, where ancient harmonies meet the rhythms of the modern world. Let the concert be your prism, where every note refracts the hidden beauty of the cosmos—each sound a reminder that we, too, are always glowing on a spectrum we cannot always see. Drinks will be available with a donation, and audience members are invited to stroll, listen, and absorb the sacred space to its fullest.

With “a genuinely genre-busting voice, full and vivid” (The Washington Post), vocalist Sarah Pillow draws on her equal expertise in jazz, classical, and early music repertoire. She has performed many genres of music from medieval to modern, throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. - photo by Mike Chiodo

Composer and percussionist Marc Wagnon can be heard on over 20 recordings, playing both acoustic and electronic vibraphone and percussion. He has released four albums as leader and six albums in collaboration with bassist Percy Jones in the bands Tunnels and Brand X, and is currently composer-in-residence at Le Métathéâtre in Geneva, Switzerland. - photo by Mike Chiodo

María Grand has toured Europe, the United States, and South America, playing in venues and festivals such as the Village Vanguard in New York, La Villette Jazz Festival in Paris, Saafelden Jazz Festival in Austria, the Half Note Club in Athens, Millennium Park in Chicago, Roulette in Brooklyn, the Blue Whale in Los Angeles, the Northsea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), Porgy and Bess (Austria), Bird's Eyes (CH), IloJazz Festival in Guadeloupe, Millennium Park in Chicago, etc.- photo by Pedro Gil Rosas

Mike Clark first gained worldwide recognition from his drumming on Herbie Hancock’s album ‘Thrust’. Mike’s incisive playing garnered him an international cult following and influenced generations of drummers throughout the world. Mike has also collaborated with such well-known jazz greats as Christian McBride, Chet Baker, John Scofield, Bobby Hutcherson, Woody Shaw, Bobby McFerrin and Nat Adderly, just to name a few. His album Blueprints in Jazz, Vol. 1 was named by DownBeat Magazine as one of the best albums of the decade. Mike can be heard on well over 60 recordings. - photo by Mike Chiodo

Active in a multitude of musical genres, including jazz, western classical, world and popular music, bassist Saadi Zain is respected as a highly skilled and versatile bassist. He has played with artists as diverse as Joshua Bell, Jennifer Holliday, Sheila Jordan and Dua Lipa.

Amber Evans is an Australian vocalist, conductor and composer. She regularly performs as an early music soloist, chamber ensemble vocalist, and contemporary opera/vocal specialist, with consistent touring engagements in Australia, the US and the UK.

Joey Curreri is a jazz trumpeter and composer from Los Angeles, California, currently based in New York City. He has degrees from the University of Miami (BM) and Manhattan School of Music (MM), where he studied with trumpet luminaries Brian Lynch and Ingrid Jensen. Joey is an award-winning trumpeter, winning 2nd place in the 2021 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Soloist Competition, and numerous grants and awards for improvisation and composition, including Downbeat, JEN, and ASCAP. He has played and recorded with jazz piano greats Makoto Ozone and Deron Johnson, and regularly tours the US, Europe, and Asia.

Kirsten Sollek has been called “…an appealingly rich alto” and “…true contralto” by The New York Times, and a singer with “elemental tone quality” by The Philadelphia Inquirer. She is active in both opera, baroque and contemporary music, with performances ranging from concert appearances of Mahler’s Third Symphony with the MSU Symphony Orchestra, Bach’s Matthäus-Passion with Bach Collegium Japan, to appearing with composer John Zorn, premiering his music in the US, Europe, Australia, and Israel.

Host or Publisher The Church of the Incarnation