Imagine Sounds of Summer

Imagine Beginnings

Festival 2021 Opening Ceremony

WATCH VIDEOImagine: A mini version of the whole International Festival of Arts & Ideas, complete with musical performances, talks, and a film!

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

Opening Night

IN-PERSON & LIVE-STREAMED EVENTOur first night of events on the New Haven Green will be silky smooth, improvisational, and freeing, set to the sounds of The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Dawn Tallman

IN-PERSON & LIVE-STREAMED EVENTWATCH VIDEODawn Tallman, The Queen of Gospel Energy, has been compared to those of many great vocalists, like Chaka Khan, Karen Wheeler and Oleta Adams, yet her style is completely & audibly her own.

Communal Listening Experience

IN-PERSON EVENTJoin Michael Mwenso for a Communal Listening Experience in the Festival Center.

Perform On Make Music Day

IN-PERSON EVENTRecord tracks and/or participate in a live jam-session on our main stage with music producer Roy Studmire.

Make Music Day Jam Session

IN-PERSON & LIVE-STREAMED EVENTWatch the musicians of Make Music Day jam after a day of recording with music director Roy Studmire, who has produced for Gucci Mane, Yung Thug, Future and more.

Riff Cohen

VIRTUAL EVENTWATCH VIDEOSinging in a melange of French, Arabic, English and Hebrew, in a style drawing on Algerian folk music, rock, and Mizrahi music, Israeli singer-songwriter Riff Cohen offers a heady window into our increasingly multicultural future.

Movimiento Cultural

IN-PERSON & LIVE-STREAMED EVENTWATCH VIDEOThis New Haven community-based organization entertains and educates on Puerto Rico’s rich African-based folklore, music, and dance, focusing on the Bomba, an ecstatic expression of Puerto Rican tradition and culture.

Paa Kow

IN-PERSON & LIVE-STREAMED EVENTWATCH VIDEOInternationally acclaimed Ghanian drummer and composer Paa Kow performs on a custom, hand-carved, traditionally inspired Ghanian drum set that is the only one of its kind.

Los Pleneros de la 21

IN-PERSON & LIVE-STREAMED EVENTGrammy-nominated Los Pleneros de la 21, a premier East Harlem-based ensemble, brings the sounds and sights of traditional Puerto Rican music and dance to the New Haven Green.

Kodo

VIRTUAL EVENTWATCH VIDEOJapanese drumming group Kodō has popularized traditional Japanese taiko worldwide with their athletic performances and manipulation of the world's most impressive drums.

New Haven Symphony Orchestra

Performing Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons"

IN-PERSON EVENTNew Haven Symphony Orchestra’s Concertmaster will perform a violin solo rendition of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" accompanied by four New Haven poets.

Thabisa Rich

IN-PERSON & LIVE-STREAMED EVENTWATCH NOWNew Haven performer Thabisa blends elements of African jazz, Afropop, soul, and funk in a style that is unmistakably her own.

Creating “Magical Musical Moments” with Grace Kelly

Workshop

IN-PERSON EVENTMusicians are invited to join Grace Kelly for a workshop in the Festival Center.

Grace Kelly

IN-PERSON & LIVE-STREAMED EVENTWATCH NOWBefore the age of 16, Korean American singer, saxophonist, and composer Grace Kelly performed at Barack Obama’s inauguration and was a soloist with the Boston Pops.

Chillie Willie Groove Band

IN-PERSON & LIVE-STREAMED EVENTWATCH NOW“Shake Your Body Baby” isn’t just a Chillie Willie song title, it’s a lifestyle. Chillie Willie fuses funk, rhythm and blues, soul, smooth jazz, and salsa influences into a dynamite dance floor invitation.

Ladama

IN-PERSON & LIVE-STREAMED EVENTThis band features four women musicians and activists originating from Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and the US.WATCH NOW

Bassel & The Supernaturals

IN-PERSON & LIVE-STREAMED EVENTWATCH NOWBassel Almadani brings a Syrian heart and a Chicago soul to The Supernaturals' singular, funk-inspired compositions and “captivating” (Paste) performances.

Darrel Walls

HAPPY HOUR BROADCASTBroadcasting 7/29 at 5PM on our Virtual Stage! Multi-Grammy-nominated Gospel songwriter and vocalist Darrel Walls brings a strong sense of rhythm and melody to the songwriting process in equal measure.

Mwenso and the Shakes

HAPPY HOUR BROADCASTBroadcasting 8/12 at 5PM on our Virtual Stage! The “wild” (PRI) troupe of multi-talents Mwenso and the Shakes throws “intense, prowling, ebullient” live gigs (New York Times) that are as much party as they are performance. EnJoy this performance from the New Haven Green.

POSTPONED: Durand Bernarr

UPDATE: The June 19 Durand Bernarr concert was discontinued due to weather conditions. While he will no longer be performing at the Festival this June, we are working with his team to reschedule his concert in New Haven later this year. We will keep you posted as those plans progress!