Honoring and preserving the legacy of Duke Ellington
Celebrating the Legacy of Duke Ellington
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2026
2:00–4:00 PM
Duke Ellington Circle
Fifth Avenue & 110th Street
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
We’re just two weeks away!
Join us for the 15th Annual Duke Ellington Celebration at the iconic Duke Ellington Statue in Harlem!
Presented by The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts in collaboration with the American Tap Dance Foundation, this special outdoor celebration brings together an afternoon of music, dance, and community honoring the timeless legacy of Duke Ellington.
Featuring:
The Duke Ellington Center Big Band
Under the musical direction of Eli Yamin
Featuring:Michael Choi, Marion Cowings, Karen Callaway Williams, Sharon K. Janda, Nicolas King, AC Lincoln, Mark Mindek, Antoinette Montague, Ema Nohalova, Max Pollak, Catherine Russell, and Ty Stephens.
The celebration will be co-hosted by Mercedes Ellington, Duke Ellington’s granddaughter and Founder & Artistic Director of The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts, and Tony Waag, Founding Director of the American Tap Dance Foundation.
Bring your family and friends and come celebrate Duke Ellington with us!
For 15 years, Duke Ellington Circle has been a living stage—bringing music, dance, and community together in Harlem to celebrate Duke Ellington’s enduring legacy.
150 Friends for 15 Years
Help us celebrate this 15-year tradition by becoming one of 150 Friends with a gift of $100 or more.
Your $100 gift includes recognition in our commemorative 15th Anniversary program as one of the friends helping keep this beloved tradition alive.
Support the legacy. Become one of our 150 Friends today.
On April 29, Duke Ellington's birthday, Mercedes Ellington spoke with Soundboard, the Steinway & Sons Soundboard podcast on her grandfather's enduring influence and on her own career in dance and choreography. Visit steinway.com/soundboard to listen or subscribe to Soundboard wherever you podcast.
‘It’s interesting to see that all composers deal with the same struggles and the same big themes and the same questions of humanity.’
Mercedes Ellington
What’s Happening?
Don't miss out on some of our exciting events happening all year round. Join us for our next virtual event. We love you madly!
Photograph by Kyle Martin
Preserving the Legacy of Duke Ellington
Considered one of America's greatest composers, arrangers, and bandleaders, with over 3,000 compositions attributed to him, Duke Ellington is a seminal figure in the history of American music. It is our honor to preserve his legacy through education, documentation, and performance.
Photograph by Kyle Martin
“Love is supreme and unconditional; like is nice but limited.”
— Duke Ellington