Date:
Friday, February 19, 2027
Time:
7:00 PM
Advance Ticket:
$46.62
Advance Member Ticket:
$42.00
Door Ticket:
$52.50
Student Ticket:
$26.25
All-in Pricing
Kuumbwa Jazz Presents

Matthew Whitaker Quintet

Buy Tickets
6:00 PM
All Ages
Café Kuumbwa
Dinner Specials can be purchased in advance or at the counter (subject to availability). To guarantee the purchase of the Dinner Special, please order in advance. The menu will be posted to this event page as soon as it is selected by our chef. If you are purchasing a dinner before the menu is announced, you will receive the menu via email within a week of the concert date. Please click the ‘Café Kuumbwa' button above for more information. Thank you!

Matthew Whitaker is a GRAMMY award-winning multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer, and arranger. His passion for music was sparked at the age of three, when his grandfather gifted him a keyboard. Over the years, his artistry has reached audiences around the world. 

Whitaker’s work as a performer and collaborator spans a wide range of stages and ensembles. He has appeared as a guest soloist with leading orchestras, including the Aspen Chamber Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. Whitaker won the 2026 GRAMMY for Best Arrangement, Instrumental Or A Cappella on “Super Mario Praise Break” with the 8-Bit Big Band; of which the album was also nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble. He is a three-time recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award and has released four studio albums: Outta The Box, Now Hear This, Connections, and On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute.

A graduate of The Juilliard School and a product of public education, Whitaker is deeply committed to the power of music to connect people and to ensuring that every child has access to music education. When not touring, he invests in the next generation of musicians as Artist in Residence at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he teaches piano, music theory, jazz ensembles, and choirs. He is also an advocate for people with disabilities, consulting with companies to help improve accessibility.

Matthew Whitaker Website 
(Ticket Includes 5% City of Santa Cruz Admission Tax)

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