July 4 and 5 Concerts Are Sold Out

Celebrate the 4th of July with Jazz at the Bechtler. The museum presents a special two-night engagement with vocalist Maria Howell on July 4 and 5. Howell will perform with the Ziad Jazz Quartet.

Best known for her role as the choir soloist in the 1985 Oscar-nominated film The Color Purple, Howell has shared the stage with Ray Charles, Najee, George Howard, Ramsey Lewis, George Benson, Nancy Wilson, Marvin Hamlisch, Will Downing and Babyface among others. She considers jazz her favorite musical genre. "Jazz has kept me from wondering too far into the sea of uncertainty," Howell said. "I feel more at home in this world of beautiful melodies."

Howell, a Gastonia native, has been known to leave audiences mesmerized with her powerful, sultry, smooth voice, mixing R&B, gospel and soul into her renditions of jazz classics.

As an actress, she has appeared in Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls, Meet the Browns and House of Payne. Other TV credits include Revolution, Army Wives, Vampire Diaries and Necessary Roughness. Her films include The Blind Side and What to Expect When You're Expecting. Howell's most recent film project was the role of Seeder in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Performance

The Maria Howell concert will be performed at 6 p.m in the museum lobby.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Seating is first come, first served. Standing room only is available after all seats are claimed.

Cash Bar

The cash bar offers beer, wine and select liquor.

Tickets

Starting with the July concerts, tickets are $14 for the general public. Tickets for Individual, Family, Supporting and Sustainer museum members are $8. Tickets for Patron and Modernist museum members are free (members at these levels are required to reserve tickets).

Tickets for each concert are sold separately.
July 4 concert SOLD OUT
July 5 concert SOLD OUT

Tickets may also be purchased by phone 704.353.9200 or at the admission desk.

Parking

Concertgoers receive discounted parking in the Levine Center for the Arts garage. Bring ticket in for validation.

Presenting sponsor of Jazz at the Bechtler

Hospitality sponsor of Jazz at the Bechtler

Image: Maria Howell. Photo by Garrett Garms/WSSU