Wynton Marsalis has spent just shy of 40 years at the helm of Jazz at Lincoln Center, as founder, managing and artistic director, and plenty else besides. The degree of his involvement will soon scale back considerably, as the organization's board prepares a phased transition that will end his tenure as artistic director after the 2026-27 season. Greg Scholl, the organization's executive director, will also be resigning his position.
The news, which the board announced yesterday, was initially reported by the New York Times. According to a press statement, Marsalis will serve as artistic director until July 2027, when he'll continue to serve on staff in an advisory capacity. His contract will end in June 2028, after which he will serve on the board as Founder.
"When we established Jazz at Lincoln Center in 1987, our goal was to build an enduring jazz institution that would both entertain and educate by exposing multi-generational audiences to an often-overlooked aspect of American culture, and I am proud of the tremendous progress we've made," Marsalis says in the statement.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center board has appointed two special committees to address its leadership transition. The first will conduct a search for the next artistic director and other creative staff, in consultation with Marsalis; its target date is this fall. The second will search for a new executive director to succeed Scholl, whose resignation is effective this June.
"JALC and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra have always been my main artistic priority as a musician and a citizen," says Marsalis, who has won a Pulitzer Prize amidst other honors as a composer, trumpeter and bandleader. "As JALC approaches its 40th anniversary, there couldn't be a better time for this transition. Performing and nurturing the future of jazz and its musicians through JALC has been the honor of a lifetime, and I am very grateful to my fellow artists, the board, leadership, and staff of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and must acknowledge the incredible desire and dedication of the JLCO."
"Together, we have covered a lot of ground," Marsalis adds. "The organization's work continues and is as crucial as ever. I am energized and excited to be part of the future of JALC over the next few years and going forward. It is time for new leadership to take the institution to even higher ground. We are rich in emerging, extremely talented, capable, and inspired musicians and advocates. I'm very confident about the future."
As a tribute to its founder, Jazz at Lincoln Center will devote much of its 2026-27 season to a celebration of Marsalis' music and career; details will be shared in February.
For more information, see a press release from Jazz at Lincoln Center.
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