Wynton Marsalis to step down as Jazz at Lincoln Center leader
Wynton Marsalis is wrapping up his nearly 40-year run as the artistic and managing director of Jazz at Lincoln Center.
He'll stay on through the 2026-27 season, then shift to an advisory role through June 2028 while continuing to serve on JALC's board in perpetuity.
The board will soon pick his successor and also replace executive director Greg Scholl, who leaves in June 2026.
Why does this matter?
Marsalis isn't just a jazz legend—he built Jazz at Lincoln Center from scratch in 1987 and made it a global hub for jazz music and education.
Thanks to him, concert sales boomed and programs like Essentially Ellington reached new heights.
Even after stepping down, he'll still play with the orchestra now and then.
Who is Wynton Marsalis?
A New Orleans native who studied at Juilliard, Marsalis has nine Grammys under his belt and snagged a Pulitzer Prize for "Blood on the Fields."
The upcoming season will celebrate his huge impact on jazz—and honestly, that's well deserved.