Tawanda and the Gabriel Schillinger- Hyman Trio

A critically-acclaimed pianist teams up with a winner of the Sarah Vaughan Jazz Vocal Competition - an honor bestowed on Samara Joy and Jazzmeia Horn - to bring you an evening of GREAT music.

Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim is an award-winning jazz vocalist based in Los Angeles, whose artistry reflects a vibrant mix of cultural heritages. Her rapid ascent on the international stage is marked by major honors and extensive global touring, winning the 2021 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and a 2023 Outstanding Achievement Bistro Award for Jazz Vocalist following her “stunning” debut at Birdland Jazz Club in November 2022. In 2024, she expanded her international presence with an 18-country European tour and three U.S. tours with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, alongside three additional tours including a Florence debut at the Teatro Niccolini with Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. Her performance experience spans major concert halls, international touring circuits, and intimate venues worldwide. As All About Jazz observed in 2022, “Tawanda seems to go from zero to belonging in the esteemed company of Veronica Swift, Cecile McLorin Salvant and Cyrille Aimée in negative time, if that could be measured (All About Jazz, 2022)." (www.tawandamusic.net)

Based in New York City, Gabriel Schillinger-Hyman has toured with the finest jazz artists, including Christopher McBride, Lucas Pino (Dave Brubeck Artistic Director), Alexandra Ridout (best intl. jazz soloist 2023), and Langston Hughes II. He is known for showcasing a catalogue of originals and arrangements of works by Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and more, and honors the history of these master pianists with performances that are both soulful and hard-hitting. He is a Steinway & Sons Teacher and Educational Partner, a two-time performer & arranger at Carnegie Hall, and has been known to engage and enrich audiences from some of the world's most iconic venues including The Black Cat, Blues Alley, Ornithology, Klavierhaus, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Libretto, Piedmont Piano, and Zinco CDMX. (www.gabrielschillinger-hymanmusic.com)

The two met on tour in Norway and Iceland in 2025, and have since built a deep musical chemistry—together, they've formed a quartet and previously completed a sold-out West Coast run. The Den will host their second show in Los Angeles during their November tour throughout the West Coast, presenting a wide-ranging program with music from Chick Corea and Chaka Khan to sweeping ballads by Billy Strayhorn, hard-driving burners by Betty Carter, and a handful of original compositions.

You can buy tickets for this private event!A part of the proceeds goes to a favorite charity!