Wynton Marsalis

EXCLUSIVE
  • International Jazz Icon
  • Renowned Musician, Composer, Bandleader, Educator, and Leading Advocate of American Culture
  • Managing and Artistic Director, Jazz at Lincoln Center
  • Director of Jazz Studies, The Juilliard School

World-renowned trumpeter, bandleader and composer Wynton Marsalis is a leading advocate of American culture. At the age of 17, Marsalis left New Orleans to attend the Juilliard School in New York City. He quickly found himself in an ideal place to learn what was required to be a jazz musician and bandleader, when he hit the road with Art Blakey and the Jazz Masters. Wynton assembled his first band in 1981 and promptly began touring, performing over 120 concerts annually for 15 consecutive years. With the power of his musicianship, the compelling sound of his swinging bands and a far-reaching series of performances and music workshops, Marsalis rekindled interest and excitement in jazz worldwide and attracted a new generation of fine young talent to the genre. As the Co-founder, Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, as well as the Director of Juilliard Jazz, Marsalis has elevated jazz music to the forefront of America’s leading arts and educational institutions. Wynton has recorded over 100 jazz and classical recordings, which have garnered nine GRAMMY Awards® and sold over 7 million copies worldwide. In 1997, Marsalis became the first jazz artist to be awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in Music for his oratorio Blood on the Fields. Marsalis' vision for a brighter American future resonates deeply with companies and organizations across a multitude of fields. With Wynton, audiences are treated to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take a front row seat as he speaks about a lifetime of innovation, soul, and music. 

 



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Wynton  Marsalis headshot
Past Hosts Include:
  • Privilege Underwriters Reciprocol Exchange
  • American Montessori Society
  • National Press Club
  • New York Historical Society
  • The Independent Sector National Conference
  • The Atlantic Council
  • Americans for the Arts
  • Harvard University
  • University of Vermont (Commencement)
  • United States Congress
Rave Reviews About Wynton Marsalis as a Speaker
Wynton was wonderful. He was warm, insightful, giving, humorous...I thoroughly appreciated the conversation, and him.

Wynton Marsalis - You are a bridge, you connect what was and what will be | U. of Michigan - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Wynton Marsalis

Resilience through Affirmation and Action

The Jazz Way of Conducting Business

Creativity in the Time of Crisis

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<p>Wynton Marsalis speaks about innovation, creativity, and resilience</p>

Wynton Marsalis speaks about innovation, creativity, and resilience

International Jazz Icon WYNTON MARSALIS is an innovator in his field, known as an inventive composer who brought jazz to the forefront of American culture through his infectious sound and experimental range. His creativity and innovation catapulted him to stardom in the jazz world and resulted in such positions as the Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School, as well as 9 Grammy wins and 32 nominations. As the world’s first jazz artist to perform and compose across the full jazz spectrum from its New Orleans roots to bebop to modern jazz, Marsalis shares the importance of improvisation, cooperation, resilience, and innovation, and how to put these ideals into action in everyday life as an individual and as part of a team. The lessons he has learned from his career resonate with companies and teams as he discusses the foundations and practices that create strong organizations. Audiences are treated to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear this groundbreaking musician play selections from his extensive discography in an up close and personal setting as he speaks about a lifetime of innovation, leaving everyone with wonder and inspiration long after the event. As the crowd shared after an event for the American Montessori Society, "This man is out of this world"..."Twenty-one years of Montessori conferences and this one is the best Keynote"..."Mr. Wynton is an amazing teacher and person with much wisdom we all can gain from"..."We are grateful to you every day for bringing joy and a range of emotions and creativity into our lives and now sharing that magic and dedication to practice and team work to create beautiful music with our daughters"..."He is such a people person! What an amazing personality. I've always liked him as a jazz artist but now I LOVE him as a human! I will be playing more jazz music in my classroom hence forth!"

<p>Wynton Marsalis is an innovative jazz musician and speaker, dazzling audiences with his wonderful stories and masterful music</p>

Wynton Marsalis is an innovative jazz musician and speaker, dazzling audiences with his wonderful stories and masterful music

As a world-renowned bandleader, composer, and musician, Pulitzer Prize winner, and the Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, WYNTON MARSALIS represents the most groundbreaking name in jazz and classical music today. Marsalis’s storied career has expanded the definitions of jazz and classical, with a voluminous body of work that confirms his placement as one of the most poignant musicians and composers of our time. A Grammy winner 9 times over (and 32-time nominee), Wynton has broken barriers and redefined the limits of these two genres. In his virtual appearances, he grants his audiences a front-row seat as he plays selections from his extensive discography, and speaks about a lifetime of innovation in music composition, education, and performance. During these intimate conversations, Marsalis queries the many links between jazz music and our cultural norms, modes of interaction, and democratic structure at large. Marsalis was recently featured on President Bill Clinton's Podcast, Why Am I Telling You This? With Bill Clinton, to talk about the intersection of jazz and democracy. His most recent release The Democracy! Suite has inspired in-depth discussion around the relationship between this  Black American art form and the construct of our government. Marsalis is a much-needed voice whose music has the ability to inspire and connect us, even in these trying times. Described by audiences as “unbelievably warm, charming, available and engaging,” he offers an experience that delights and inspires every time.

<p><span>Wynton Marsalis: Internationally acclaimed musician, composer, bandleader, educator and a leading advocate of American culture</span></p>

Wynton Marsalis: Internationally acclaimed musician, composer, bandleader, educator and a leading advocate of American culture

When live performances stopped, that did not stop WYNTON MARSALIS. He's been keeping more than busy leading Jazz at Lincoln Center’s WorldWide Concert of Jazzhelping the Philadelphia Orchestra honor FrontLine Workers, supporting Harlem Eat Up! and urging community leaders to keep the arts funding front and center. Marsalis was recently featured talking about the intersection of jazz and democracy on President Bill Clinton's Podcast, Why Am I Telling You This? With Bill Clinton and on the Democracy Works podcast, a collaboration between WPSU and the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State. His latest album, The Democracy! Suite, talks a lot about this intersection. The album features his first single, called Sloganize, Patronize, Realize, Revolutionize (Black Lives Matters), a call for innovation, courage, and determination to engage in our rights and responsibilities as citizens, as Marsalis explains in his blog post

Marsalis’ core beliefs and foundation for living are based on the principals of jazz. He promotes individual creativity (improvisation), collective cooperation (swing), gratitude and good manners (sophistication), and faces adversity with persistent optimism (the blues). With his evolved humanity and through his selfless work, Marsalis has elevated the quality of human engagement for individuals, social networks and cultural institutions throughout the world.

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Biography

World-renowned trumpeter, bandleader and composer Wynton Marsalis is a leading advocate of American culture. At the age of 17, Marsalis left New Orleans to attend the Juilliard School in New York City. He quickly found himself in an ideal place to learn what was required to be a jazz musician and bandleader, when he hit the road with Art Blakey and the Jazz Masters. Wynton assembled his first band in 1981 and promptly began touring, performing over 120 concerts annually for 15 consecutive years. With the power of his musicianship, the compelling sound of his swinging bands and a far-reaching series of performances and music workshops, Marsalis rekindled interest and excitement in jazz worldwide and attracted a new generation of fine young talent to the genre. As the Co-founder, Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, as well as the Director of Juilliard Jazz, Marsalis has elevated jazz music to the forefront of America’s leading arts and educational institutions. Wynton has recorded over 100 jazz and classical recordings, which have garnered nine GRAMMY Awards® and sold over 7 million copies worldwide. In 1997, Marsalis became the first jazz artist to be awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in Music for his oratorio Blood on the Fields. Marsalis' vision for a brighter American future resonates deeply with companies and organizations across a multitude of fields. With Wynton, audiences are treated to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take a front row seat as he speaks about a lifetime of innovation, soul, and music.