Join us for three very special Jazz concerts on the Stage at OCC!
Get you tickets below or become a Jazz Season Ticket holder!
As a season ticket holder, you get a VIP experience for all three 2026 jazz concerts and special recognition as “producer” for your support!
Joe Alterman with Guest Vocalist Lena Seikaly
Friday, June 5th 7:30PM
JOE ALTERMAN is an Atlanta-born jazz pianist, composer, writer, and cultural curator who channels the timeless joy of swing with youthful energy and heartfelt enthusiasm. Talbot County knows Joe Alterman from two performances with Lena Seikaly at the Monty Alexander Jazz Festival. As audience favorites, the Stage @ OCC is thrilled to bring them back.
A graduate of New York University with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Jazz Piano Performance, Alterman has performed at iconic venues including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Birdland, and Blue Note, sharing stages with jazz greats like Houston Person, Les McCann, and Ramsey Lewis. He also had the privilege of opening for Dick Gregory at the Kennedy Center, where the legendary comedian introduced him with a knowing smile and the line: “See? Integration works!”
Whether leading his trio or captivating audiences solo, Alterman’s music has been described by Downbeat Magazine as “hard-swinging” and by the late journalist Nat Hentoff as “making people smile and, if the room is right, dance.” With a deep groove, bluesy touch, and an exuberance that’s hard to resist, his playing is both deeply rooted and refreshingly modern. His ability to keep the spirit of swing alive has earned admiration from jazz masters. As Monty Alexander put it, “Joe Alterman is doing his part to keep alive the art of the swinging trio. He is a wonderful pianist whose playing brings smiles and good feelings to his listeners.” Similarly, Benny Green calls Alterman “absolutely one of the most musically enjoyable, swingingest jazz pianists who can be heard playing today.”
With eight critically acclaimed albums to his name, including the 2023 release Joe Alterman Plays Les McCann: Big Mo & Little Joe, Alterman continues to evolve as a recording artist while honoring jazz’s deep traditions. His swinging style and infectious enthusiasm have made him a favorite among both jazz devotees and casual listeners. As George Benson once told him, “You play good and you sound good, and there’s a difference.” That difference—the ability to channel joy, soul, and deep connection through every note—is what sets Alterman apart.
As Dick Cavett aptly said, “Joe Alterman combines outstanding musical technique with infectious enthusiasm for his work. He fills a room with joy.”
Whether performing on world-renowned stages, leading cultural initiatives, or writing about the music he loves, Joe Alterman bridges the past and present of jazz, delivering music that, as Ramsey Lewis put it, is “happy music with tasty meat on the bones.”
More about Joe Alterman: https://www.joealtermanmusic.com/
LENA SEIKALY – A fixture on the D.C. jazz scene for over 15 years, vocalist and DC area-native Lena Seikaly is already making her mark in national and international jazz circles as a revivalist of traditional jazz vocals, as well as an innovator in contemporary vocal jazz styles. Both as a bandleader and featured artist, Lena has headlined at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai (China), the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Strathmore Music Center, Blues Alley, the Hamilton, West Virginia Public Radio’s Mountain Stage, Sidney Harman Hall, various Smithsonian venues and DC’s famed Westminster Church, as well as various important Jazz Festivals.
Lena has released four albums under her name between 2009 and 2018, all of which were released at Blues Alley. Her music is played regularly on DC’s jazz station WPFW 89.3, and “A Little Closer” was featured on Washington DC’s NPR station, WAMU 88.5 shortly after its release.
In April 2023, she was the mezzo-soprano soloist for the world premier of “The Unknown Sea” by David Conte, a commissioned work featuring the Washington Master Chorale and Orchestra. As an arranger, Lena had the unique privilege of being commissioned to arrange a suite of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s music for a 16-piece version of the New Orchestra of Washington, which premiered in 2012.
More about Lena Seikaly: https://lenaseikaly.com/home
Get your tickets!
June 5th, 7:30pm at the Oxford Community Center
200 Oxford Road, Oxford MD 21654
Limited “VIP Experience” tickets are available that include a meet and greet, desserts and bubbly, front cabaret seating and two drink tickets $150
Dominick Farinacci & Friends
Friday, December 4th 7:30PM
Dominick Farinacci
A Talbot County favorite, we are excited to keep the Holiday tradition alive welcoming Dominick Farinacci back in December. Trumpeter Dominick Farinacci served as ambassador to Jazz at Lincoln from 2013-2015 in Doha, Qatar, working to further integrate music into communities around the world in culturally collaborative ways. He is a 2022 recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize, an honor previously awarded to author Toni Morrison, and Cleveland Orchestra conductors George Szell and Franz Welser-Möst. Dominick graduated from The Juilliard School in 2005 launching his career in Japan with a prolific run of eight albums, later releasing four more globally. He has performed around the world and has been recognized by The New York Times as “a trumpeter of abundant poise.” He was a featured guest on ABC’s Good Morning America and is a TED Speaker. Dominick has been profiled in Vanity Fair, and music icon Quincy Jones says of Dominick’s accomplishments in performance, recording, education & advocacy, “This kid is 360 degrees!”
Dominick has been successful in his personal endeavors on bringing music into the community through Arts and Wellness & Education. He was invited by TED to be a TED Speaker at the 2014 TED MED conference at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He is co-founder of Modern Warrior LIVE, an immersive musical and narrative experience detailing a U.S. Veteran’s story of combat in Afghanistan, highlighting the mental trauma of war and potential growth that can come through experiencing trauma. Modern Warrior LIVE has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the 26th U.S. Secretary of Defense – General James Mattis – and has been showcased at Amazon Headquarters and at the National Council for Behavioral Health Conference opening for Brené Brown.
Dominick is the director of the Tri-C JazzFest Academy, a year-round pre-college program of Cuyahoga Community College, housed at the Gill and Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts in Cleveland, Ohio. His 2016 recording “Short Stories” was produced by four-time Grammy Award winning producer Tommy LiPuma, and features Jacob Collier, Christian McBride and Steve Gadd. Dominick’s recent triple EP “Reflections” features a series of duo performances with acclaimed pianists, and has garnered more than 10 million collective streams on digital platforms in recent months.
More about Dominick Farinacci: https://www.dominickfarinacci.com/
Get your tickets!
December 4th, 7:30pm at the Oxford Community Center
200 Oxford Road, Oxford MD 21654
Limited “VIP Experience” tickets are available that include a meet and greet, desserts and bubbly, front cabaret seating and two drink tickets $150