Emmet Cohen Trio, Lucy Yeghiazaryan to perform Sept. 19 at Eisenhower Auditorium

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Emmet Cohen Trio will conjure the intimate club vibe of “Live at Emmet’s Place” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, in Eisenhower Auditorium. Armenian-born vocalist Lucy Yeghiazaryan will join the musicians for the trio’s third performance for the Center for the Performing Arts.

Visit Emmet Cohen Trio for more information.

The Harlem, New York-based pianist and his trio made their Penn State debut in 2018 and won over the center’s jazz fans with his charismatic delivery of straight-ahead jazz standards. When the pandemic hit, he took his popular show online for the weekly “Live at Emmet’s Place.” He and Yeghiazaryan will re-create the magic of those intimate apartment concerts on the Eisenhower stage along with drummer Joe Farnsworth and bassist Philip Norris.

Growing up in post-Soviet Union Armenia, Yeghiazaryan spent any chance she could — when the electricity was working — listening to her father’s once-contraband collection of jazz records. She developed her full, throaty voice and appreciation for the Great American Songbook by mimicking the sounds and styles of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.

Read a Center for the Performing Arts feature about the artists.

Free jam session

Musicians from the Centre Region are invited to jam with Harlem straight-ahead jazz giant. Cohen has shared an artistic space with a variety of musicians, including pianist Christian McBride, saxophonist Joe Lovano and drummer “Tootie” Heath.

The community Jam Session with Emmet Cohen will be from 7–­9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18, in Recital Hall. Attendees who wish to watch the performance are invited to register and arrive without an instrument.

The event is free, but registration is required.

Acknowledgements

Glenn and Nancy Gamble Endowment, Robert and Sonia Hufnagel Endowment, and John L. Brown Jr. and Marlynn Steele Sidehamer Endowment provide support.

Support for accessibility services is provided by William E. McTurk Endowment for Program Support and Gerald B. M. Stein Memorial Endowment.

A grant from the University Park Student Fee Board makes Penn State student prices possible.

Find the Center for the Performing Arts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.