Brandee Younger Trio’s appearance in Queens follows the jazz harpist’s 2025 Doris Duke Foundation Artist Award and precedes her June release Gadabout Season (Impulse!).
On Saturday (May 3), Flushing Town Hall will bring the genre-defying sound of The Brandee Younger Trio to Queens. Known for her fusion of classical, jazz, soul and funk, Younger has redefined the harp in contemporary music.
Younger is revolutionizing the harp’s role in modern music. Over the past 15 years, she has worked relentlessly to stretch boundaries and limitations for harpists. In 2022, she made history by becoming the first Black woman to be nominated for a Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition. That same year, she was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award and later, the winner of the 2024 NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Jazz Album for her latest album, Brand New Life. Ever-expanding as an artist, she has worked with cultural icons including Common, Lauryn Hill, John Legend, Pharoah Sanders and Christian McBride.
The harpist is often noted for standing on the shoulders of the very women who ushered in the harp as a clear and distinct voice in jazz and popular styles — particularly Detroit natives Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. Brand New Life builds on her already rich oeuvre, and cements the harp’s place in popular culture. In addition to performing and recording, Younger is on the faculty at New York University, Steinhardt School and The New School College of Performing Arts.
With tickets priced at $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and students with ID, and $18 for members, Flushing Town Hall rivals Manhattan’s clubs in affordability. The Queens venue, nicknamed the “Home of Jazz” and operating in a historic and beautiful Landmarked building, is easily accessible by the 7 train. Learn more and purchase tickets at flushingtownhall.org/event-detail.php?id=810.
Photo by Erin Patrice O’Brien
