Tuesdays on the Terrace | Bethany Pickens’s Soulful Coalition
August 19, 20255:30 pm - 8:00 pm
This event is free, but capacity is limited. Reserve a Fast Pass for expedited entry—available soon!
Bethany Pickens at Chicago Winter Jazz Fair 2024, with Micah Collier, Isaiah Collier, and Jeremiah Collier. Photo: Kwesi Darko.
About the Event
Summer Tuesdays come alive on the MCA terrace with free concerts highlighting artists from Chicago’s internationally renowned music community. Enjoy live music while relaxing on the lawn with your own picnic, or savor snacks and drinks available for purchase. Then head inside to catch the MCA’s summer exhibitions—we’re open late on Tuesdays and free for Illinois residents.
This week, pianist and educator Bethany Pickens returns to the MCA terrace to celebrate her birthday with her compelling ensemble, Soulful Coalition. The daughter of legendary pianist Willie Pickens, Bethany has made her own mark as an influential performer and mentor, inspiring the next generation of musicians.
About the Artist
“Bethany’s performance is sparked by her adventurous compositions and swinging breeziness”
—Downbeat Magazine
Bethany Pickens is an award-winning pianist, composer, educator, and bandleader with a career rooted in tradition and exploration. She began her training under the watchful tutelage of her father, world-class jazz pianist Willie Pickens, before earning her BS Music Ed degree from the American Conservatory of Music. She has performed and recorded with artists such as Clark Terry, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Branford Marsalis, Patti LaBelle, Josh Groban, and Aretha Franklin. Pickens’s passion for education includes work with the Ravinia Jazz Scholars Program, Jazz Institute of Chicago’s Jazz Masters Residency Program, and 28 years teaching music in Chicago Public Schools. She recently ended her teaching career at Kenwood Academy High School (her Alma Mater) where she inspired countless young musicians. Pickens serves on the board of the Jazz Institute of Chicago and as Vice President of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club. “Steeped in Tradition, Committed to Creativity” is how Bethany describes her musical outlook. Follow @bethanypickens on Facebook and Instagram for updates on her music and projects and pick up her debut CD at bethanypickens.com.
Funding
Tuesdays on the Terrace is presented by NBC 5 and Telemundo Chicago.
Tuesdays on the Terrace is made possible in part by a generous gift from Luminarts Cultural Foundation.
