Jazz at The Kreeger

Elijah Jamal Balbed returns to Jazz at the Kreeger for his annual holiday concert with the quartet and guest vocalist from New York City Kieran Brown! 

Tickets now include admission to Museum galleries and Sculpture Garden. Ticket-holders may enter the Museum through the front entrance beginning at 1:30pm to view the galleries before the performance begins at 3:00pm. 

In the event that you must cancel your reservation, please email [email protected] as soon as possible so we can offer your seat to someone else. Refunds will only be issued for cancellations made more than 24 hours in advance.

Limited parking is available at The Field School, located at 2301 Foxhall Road NW.

A limited number of 'pay what you can' tickets will be available for this Jazz at The Kreeger performance. For more information, email [email protected].

About the Artists

ELIJAH JAMAL BALBED

Elijah Jamal Balbed is an award-winning saxophonist, composer, educator, and curator in the Washington, DC area. 

Born in DC and raised in Silver Spring, MD, Elijah matriculated to Howard University where he studied classical and jazz saxophone with Charlie Young and was a featured soloist in the Howard University Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Fred Irby III. While a student at Howard, Elijah began establishing himself around town as a rising star on the saxophone, and at the age of 21 Elijah received the call to perform at Blues Alley with the Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown. This would be a pivotal moment in Elijah's career, creating a new-found affinity for DC's original genre of music "Go-Go". Sadly, Chuck passed the following year but Elijah was determined to keep the legacy of Chuck Brown and Go-Go Music alive and introduce/educate those less familiar with Go-Go Music. 

In 2012 Elijah released his debut album as a leader "Checking In", and his since released 3 albums and one single: "Lessons From the Streets" (2015), "The Karma Suite" (2019), Keep the Faith (2024), and his most recent offering "Horizon Ahead: The Crab Shack Sessions Volume 1" (2025). In 2014, Elijah was an Artist-in-Residence at Strathmore and decided to use the residency as an opportunity to debut his band The JoGo Project - an ensemble presenting a unique fusion of Jazz and Go-Go musics, featuring some of the top musicians in the area. JoGo has since released several singles and two EP's, traveled to Russia to perform and do workshops on behalf of the US State Department, and the band has generally become a staple in the DC area. 

Accolades/Notable Performances include: Northern Lights Festival Boreal (2025), The Kennedy Center w/ The Revive Big Band (2025), Wolf Trap w/ Ms. Lauryn Hill (2023), PAPJAZZ International Jazz Festival w/ Josanne Francis (2022), Featured in WBGO and The Washington Post (2021), Winner of the DC Jazz Prix International Band Competition (2020), NPR's Tiny Desk w/ The Dream (2019), Gershwin Prize Awards w/ Gloria Estefan aired on PBS (2019), State Department Jazz and Go-Go Ambassador (2018 & 2019), Toured U.K. w/ The Blackbyrds (2017 & 2018), Resident Artist at Lincoln Center in Doha, Qatar (2015), Strathmore Artist-in-Residence (2014), Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead Program (2013), Washington City Paper Best Tenor Saxophonist (2013), Washington CIty Paper Best New Jazz Musician (2009), Tour in Japan w/ HUJE (2009).

Elijah continues to perform, record, and occasionally tour with his various ensembles, as well as serving as Curator for Jazz at The Kreeger since 2021, Ciel Social Club since 2024, and most recently was appointed Director of the JazzDC Youth Ensemble - a new jazz program as a part of the DC Youth Orchestra in collaboration with DC Jazz Festival and Sitar Center for the Arts.

KIERAN BROWN

Kieran Brown is a New York City based multi-genre vocalist, composer, and arranger with a strong concentration in Jazz, R&B, and The American Songbook. With a strong love for improvisation and songwriting, Kieran's musical pursuits present a unique blend of the past and present, as she merges her deep understanding of jazz history with her contemporary sensibilities, impressive mastery of technique, and diverse textural adaptability. Her debut album “Loving You”, set to release in July 2025 on Cellar Live.

Kieran’s love of Jazz began at the age of 16, while studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Her experience studying jazz at Berklee turned out to be a pivotal moment in her career, empowering her to dedicate her life studying and preserving this music. Kieran received her undergraduate degree in jazz voice at the the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, studying under the tutelage of some of America’s finest Jazz Musicians; Sachal Vasandani, Darmon Meader (New York Voices), Lee Musiker (Tony Bennett), John Raymond, Dave Stryker, Greg Ward, Oliver Nelson Jr, and Todd Coolman. Kieran was a featured vocalist in the IU Soul Revue, led by renowned bassist and producer Dr. James Strong (Toni Braxton, Tupac, LL Cool J) and a member of the Grammy Award Winning Singing Hoosiers.

Since moving to NYC in April 2023, Kieran has performed at many historic venues including Madison Square Garden, Mezzrow Jazz Club, Dizzy’s Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club, Birdland Jazz Club, and made her international debut in London in 2024. She has worked with world renowned musicians like Joe Farnsworth, Benny Benack III, Tony Glausi, Emmet Cohen, former members of the John Pizzarelli Quartet Konrad Paszkudski and Mike Karn and many others.