SFJAZZ High School All-Stars Spring Concert 2026
The SFJAZZ High School All-Stars are among the Bay Area's most accomplished young musicians—a pre-professional ensemble whose technical brilliance and musical maturity have earned them recognition in national festivals and competitions. For their spring concert, they welcome acclaimed vocalist Lizz Wright as special guest for an afternoon celebrating both contemporary repertoire and original compositions by the students themselves.
Wright brings her distinctive deep contralto voice and two decades of experience blending jazz, gospel, blues, and soul. A Georgia native who grew up steeped in church music, she has recorded for Verve and Concord before establishing her own Blues & Greens Records label. Her performances are marked by spiritual authority and understated power—reviewers describe her as "the finest pure vocalist of her generation," praising her "sublime, warm and nuanced contralto" and ability to create transcendent moments through sheer vocal mastery.
On stage, Wright embodies the tradition of the black singer as healer and preacher, moving seamlessly between genres while maintaining an intimate connection with her audience. Live reviews highlight her majesty and spiritual presence, noting how she "thrives on singing to an audience" and creates sacred ceremony through music. Her repertoire draws from American roots music traditions, from Neil Young's "Old Man" to Cole Porter standards to traditional gospel like "Amazing Grace."
The High School All-Stars program provides advanced training and mentorship from leading jazz artists, and these students regularly display the kind of musical sophistication rarely seen in youth ensembles. Their original compositions promise to showcase the next generation of jazz voices, while their collaboration with Wright offers a unique intergenerational musical dialogue.
The concert will be broadcast live as a special free stream on SFJAZZ At Home, making this rare pairing of emerging and established talent accessible to audiences beyond the venue.