Category: In the News
2025
August Wilson Center Community Day Celebrates Kwanzaa, Christmas
Sarah and Gerald Haynes posed for a photo with their 16-month-old daughter in front of Santa and Mrs. Claus on Saturday, eager to teach her not only Christmas traditions but…
Read moreNigerian artist Peju Alatise’s sculptural installation returns to Pittsburgh’s August Wilson Center
Nigerian artist Peju Alatise’s sculptural installation “Flying Girls” was one of Pittsburgh’s visual art highlights of the year in 2018. The stunning, room-sized piece made its U.S. debut at the…
Read morePittsburgh’s People of the Year 2025 — Performing Arts: Janis Burley
When Janis Burley took over as leader of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) in 2017, she knew what kind of organization she wanted to develop. “My vision…
Read more15+ Things to Do this Weekend in Pittsburgh, from Light Up Night to Comedy in a Sauna
Fuel the Future: Take Center Stage Gala at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. Join the museum to mark the 15th anniversary of the iconic building’s opening, to honor…
Read moreNational Luminaries and Pittsburgh Trailblazers to be Honored at August Wilson Cultural Center Gala
While the August Wilson African American Cultural Center’s upcoming gala acts as a celebration, it also serves as a fundraiser — a way to support the nonprofit’s mission of elevating…
Read morePittsburgh International Jazz Festival 2025
The 2025 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival delivered a standout event this year. The outdoor stage stretched across Liberty Avenue with a two-day line up of artists that combined tradition and…
Read moreBridging Legacies Through Pittsburgh’s Vibrant Black History, Culture, and Thriving Businesses
When people think of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, its steel legacy and passionate sports culture usually spring to mind first. But with over 440 bridges linking its many communities, the “Steel City”…
Read moreJazz Notes: A look back at the Pittsburgh International Jazz Fest
I was about to make my first visit to the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival (PIJF), one of the major free jazz festivals in the country. However, there was some anxiety…
Read morePittsburgh International Jazz Fest Celebrates Artistic Freedom
Janis Burley, the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival’s founder and artistic director, did not, as might be expected, spend the eve of her brainchild’s 15th edition fine-tuning details of the concerts…
Read more2025 Pittsburgh Jazz Festival in pictures
Now in its fifteenth season, the 2025 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival (co-presented by Highmark and Blue Cross Blue Shield) had downtown Pittsburgh buzzing with excitement this past weekend. Liberty Avenue…
Read moreThe Pace Report: “The Hard Road Is The One Less Traveled” The Christone “Kingfish” Ingram Interview
Welcome to this special edition of The Pace Report reporting live from the 15th Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival. Clarksdale, Mississippi native Christone “Kingfish” Ingram not only is a Grammy-Award winning…
Read moreDee Dee Bridgewater, Keith David, and more celebrate jazz
This past weekend the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival (PIJF) hosted a three-day celebration with performances by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Keith David, Eric Benet, Jazzmeia Horn, and more. Co-presented by Highmark…
Read moreA Look at the 2025 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival
Over the weekend, Liberty Avenue never sounded so good. A couple blocks on one of Pittsburgh’s main thoroughfares were blocked off to set the stage for the 2025 Pittsburgh International…
Read moreJar of Buttons: Kandace Springs & Beau McCall
Kandace Springs, recording artist, discusses the role of clothing buttons in her life. In conversation with artist Beau McCall. Recorded at the 2025 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival co-presented by Highmark…
Read moreJazz Festival takes over Liberty Avenue this Weekend
Jazz musician Dee Dee Bridgewater and actor Keith David talk about their love of and journeys in jazz ahead of the weekend’s performances. Grammy-winning saxophonist and NEA Jazz Master Branford…
Read moreDance in the Street at Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival
Pittsburgh residents love to talk about the city’s past: places that aren’t here anymore; natives who left the city to seek their fortune; and the way things were … some…
Read moreJAZZ NOTES: Festivals Galore, Jazz Power, Avery Sommers
A combustion of jazz and everything in between happens at The Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, a four-day celebration held Sept. 18-21 with live music events held at the August Wilson African…
Read moreAll aboard the Jazz Train with pianist Orrin Evans
WBGO’s Lezlie Harrison sits down with good friend Orrin Evans to talk about the Jazz Train to the Pittsburgh Jazz Festival. Lezlie will be on board this year, along with…
Read moreThe Jazz Festival in Pittsburgh that Keeps on Swinging
Pittsburgh is a jazz city. Its musicians have been credited with helping to develop the jazz style of “bebop” and venues such as The Crawford Grill were a hotspot attracting…
Read moreAugust Wilson Center retrospective recalls Black sculptor John Rhoden’s artistic journey
This is WESA Arts, a weekly newsletter by Bill O’Driscoll providing in-depth reporting about the Pittsburgh area art scene. Sign up here to get it every Wednesday afternoon. A touring…
Read moreYou’ve Heard of Harlem and NOLA’s Legendary Jazz Scenes—but Don’t Forget About Pittsburgh
When most people think about the history of jazz, images of a young Louis Armstrong blowing his cornet through the Storyville streets of New Orleans spring to mind, or maybe…
Read morePride and Joy at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center
On June 27, 2025, the August Wilson African American Cultural Center hosted its third annual Pride and Joy event—an evening of love, celebration, and empowerment dedicated to the Black LGBTQIA+…
Read moreAugust Wilson Center Honors Juneteenth During Monthly Intermission Event
The August Wilson African American Cultural Center’s most recent monthly Intermission event series fell on Juneteenth, a Federal holiday to commemorate the emancipation of slaves within the United States. The…
Read moreWhat to do this weekend: Millvale Music Festival, ‘Anna Bolena’ opera, Black sculptor exhibit
The first major retrospective of the work of important 20th-century Black sculptor John Rhoden has come to the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. The Alabama-born ‘s life spanned the…
Read moreEight Organizations Striking Major Chords in Contemporary Jazz Culture
Meet the organizations receiving $4 million of critical grants in order to continue their work of preserving and progressing of jazz culture In an essay for Time Magazine, Mellon Foundation…
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