For Immediate Release
2025 Chicago Jazz String Summit
April 25, 26, 27

Press Contact
chicagojazzstringsummit@gmail.com

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CHICAGO – On April 25th and 26th the Chicago Jazz String Summit (CJSS) returns to Constellation Chicago. Now in its eleventh year, CJSS showcases the contributions of phenomenal string players to jazz, improvised, and experimental music. To conclude the summit, an improv session featuring past and present performers convenes at Hungry Brain on April 27th.

CJSS aims to present both internationally renowned artists and rising players to new audiences. On April 25th, NYC based friends and frequent collaborators violinist yuniya edi kwon and cellist Lester St. Louis perform their Improvisational Friendship Ceremony duo; the Czech Republic’s Ellie Wheedon will perform a solo cello set blurring boundaries by combining music, text, and visuals; and violinist Gwen Laster’s New Muse4tet presents new material in advance of their forthcoming album Keepers of the Flame.  

On April 26th, the trio of local Chicago artists olula negre, Cristal Sabbagh, and Scott Rubin who weave a mesmerizing web of movement and sound through their collective practice; Min Xiao Fen, “one of the world’s greatest virtuosos” performs a solo pipa set accompanied by original film; and violinist and vocalist Terry Jenoure, a polymathic artist who blends free jazz, pop, and soul into her compositions, appears with Flame, her trio with Joe Fonda and Reggie Nicholson. 

CJSS is proud to dedicate this year’s program to Jenoure’s mentor Leroy Jenkins, the pioneering violinist and composer.

Jenkins, who emerged from the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians in the late 1960s, established a precedent for the violin in creative music, helped to advance Chicago as a hub for adventurous art, and left an indelible mark on the many string players who have followed his trail.

The Chicago Jazz String Summit is proud to help carry this legacy forward and continue to highlight the exciting advancements in string playing locally and beyond.

A staple of Chicago’s cultural programming for the past decade, CJSS is known for “stunning sets showcasing artists seldom seen in the Midwest, plus an up-and-coming local aggregation, too” (Downbeat). 

Founded and directed by cellist and composer Tomeka Reid, the Chicago Jazz String Summit is the only BIPOC-founded, curated and produced instrument summit of its kind.

Chicago Jazz String Summit is pleased to partner with Constellation Chicago. We thank our media sponsor WDCB.

Please contact:
chicagojazzstringsummit@gmail.com for more details.

Friday, April 25, 2025 at Constellation
3111 N. Western Ave Chicago, IL 60618
Doors 7PM | Show 8:00PM
$20 Advance / $25 Doors

Set 1: yuniya edi kwon (violin) + Lester St. Louis (cello)

Set 2: Ellie Coudoux (solo cello)

Set 3: Terry Jenoure’s Flame
Terry Jenoure (violin), Joe Fonda (bass), Reggie Nicholson (drums)

Saturday, April 26, 2025 at Constellation
3111 N. Western Ave Chicago, IL 60618
Doors 7PM | Show 8:00PM
$20 Advance / $25 Doors

Set 1: olula negre (cello), Cristal Sabbagh (movement), Scott Rubin (violin)

Set 2: Min Xiao Fen (solo pipa)

Set 3: Gwen Laster’s New Muse4tet
Gwen Laster (violin), Melanie Dyer (viola), Teddy Rankin Parker (cello), Andrew Drury (drums)

Sunday, April 27, 2025 at Hungry Brain
2319 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Doors 7:00PM | Show 9:00PM 
$15 Suggested Donation 

Improv session featuring current and past CJSS string participants