Jazz master Branford Marsalis named WFU’s ‘Maya Angelou Artist-in-Residence’
Jazz musician Branford Marsalis has been named Wake Forest University’s 2025 Maya Angelou Artist-in-Residence. Marsalis, a globally celebrated artist known for his unparalleled contributions to jazz, classical music, film, and Broadway, will bring his vast experience and creative spirit to the Wake Forest campus.
The Maya Angelou Artist-in-Residence Award was established to bring world-renowned artists to campus for engagement with students, faculty, staff and the wider community. In 2023, the residency’s inaugural year, Emmy award-winning director and producer Debbie Allen was the first honoree. The residency is awarded every two years.
“Branford Marsalis embodies the versatility, depth and unwavering commitment to artistic integrity that define the spirit of the Maya Angelou Artist-in-Residence program,” said Wake Forest University President Susan R. Wente. “His ability to transcend musical genres while championing creative excellence and community engagement perfectly aligns with Dr. Angelou’s legacy of using art as a powerful force for connection and understanding.”
For four decades, Marsalis has cultivated a career marked by continuous innovation. A three-time Grammy winner, Tony Award nominee and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, Marsalis toured with Sting, collaborated with the Grateful Dead and Bruce Hornsby, served as musical director of “The Tonight Show” starring Jay Leno and hosted National Public Radio’s “Jazz Set.”
Marsalis formed the longstanding Branford Marsalis Quartet in 1986. Since then, the quartet has garnered six Grammy nominations and one Grammy win.
In addition to his performance and composition, Marsalis is deeply committed to education. He taught at North Carolina Central University for nearly two decades and co-founded the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music in New Orleans to uplift underserved communities through music.
Additional details regarding Marsalis’s residency schedule and public engagement opportunities will be announced in the fall of 2025.
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