Faena Live is proud to announce the 9th Annual Faena Jazz Series at the Faena Theater, continuing its tradition of bringing world-class jazz to South Florida. In keeping with Faena’s commitment to delivering unparalleled offerings and experiences, jazz lovers from South Florida and beyond are invited to enjoy live jazz at the intimate Faena Theater located within Faena Miami Beach.
The ninth season of the Faena Jazz Series opens with award-winning British jazz vocalist Emma Smith, whose international career has taken her from major concert halls to leading jazz clubs across Europe and the United States.
Smith’s growing list of honors includes recognition as a finalist in the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and receiving the United Kingdom’s Parliamentary Jazz Award for Jazz Vocalist of the Year. Her recent album, Bitter Orange, has further expanded her international audience, earning widespread critical attention and surpassing one million streams.
Her performance résumé includes appearances at London’s Royal Albert Hall as well as collaborations with Michael Bublé, the Quincy Jones Orchestra, Jeff Goldblum, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Alongside large-scale concert appearances, Smith maintains a strong presence on the international jazz-club circuit, regularly performing at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London, Birdland in New York, Blue Note Milano in Milan, and Duc des Lombards in Paris.
That combination of concert-hall experience, jazz-club experience, and work alongside internationally recognized artists brings a broad musical background to the opening concert of Faena’s 2026–2027 jazz season.
The October 4 performance gives South Florida audiences an opportunity to hear a vocalist whose career continues to connect the British, European, and American jazz scenes. As the first presentation of the ninth annual Faena Jazz Series, Emma Smith sets the stage for another season bringing internationally active jazz artists to Miami Beach.
Season tickets for nine concerts are available through October 4. Please note that the January 14 show with Bebel Gilberto is presented in collaboration with the South Beach Jazz Festival and is excluded from the season pass. For tickets and information, visit sobejazzfestival.com.
Season tickets and individual concert tickets can be purchased at www.faenatheater.com/concerts or by calling the box office at (786) 655-6500. Hotel guests can obtain discounts on individual Jazz Series shows.
Curated and produced by Grammy-nominated producer Rachel Faro, the Faena Jazz Series kicks off on Sunday, October 4, with UK-based artist Emma Smith, a recent finalist in the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Audiences will hear her provocative yet classic style.
The Faena Jazz Series is known for presenting some of the world’s greatest female jazz singers, including Samara Joy, Veronica Swift, Jazzmeia Horn, and Laufey. This season’s featured singers include Emma Smith, Nicole Zuraitis, Aymée Nuviola, Danielle Angrand, Varijashree Anugopal, and Nicole Henry.
The Faena Jazz Series opens its ninth season with award-winning British jazz vocalist Emma Smith. Her accolades include being a finalist in the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and receiving the UK’s Parliamentary Jazz Award for Jazz Vocalist of the Year. Her recent album, Bitter Orange, has received widespread critical acclaim and more than a million streams.
Smith has performed at venues from Royal Albert Hall to leading jazz clubs and has collaborated with Michael Bublé, the Quincy Jones Orchestra, Jeff Goldblum, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. She regularly appears at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London, Birdland in New York, Blue Note Milano, and Duc des Lombards in Paris.
Cuban singer Aymée Nuviola and percussionist Sammy Figueroa invite Latin jazz listeners to a celebration of the music as played in Miami, New York, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Figueroa’s twice Grammy-nominated band, The Latin Jazz Explosion, will open the show. Nuviola and Figueroa will then perform songs from their Latin Grammy-nominated album Searching for a Memory/Busco Tu Recuerdo. Special guests are expected to be announced.
Pianist and composer Reginald Policard is a representative of modern Haitian jazz. The leader and founder of Haiti’s Caribbean Sextet, Policard has released 17 solo albums. Joining him is Haitian American trumpeter Jean Caze, who has performed with Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Roy Hargrove, Arturo Sandoval, and George Duke. Caze has also toured worldwide with Michael Bublé as a featured soloist. His music blends Haitian heritage with American jazz influences.
Trinidadian trumpeter, percussionist, and composer Etienne Charles returns to Faena Theater with A Creole Christmas. Charles and his band Creole Soul will reimagine traditional selections from Caribbean, American, and European holiday songbooks. The program includes holiday favorites, Venezuelan parang, regional seasonal songs, American gospel, and variations on selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite.
In collaboration with the South Beach Jazz Festival. Ticket Information.
Bebel Gilberto combines bossa nova with contemporary electronic sounds. The daughter of João Gilberto and singer Miúcha, and niece of Chico Buarque, she has developed a career through her original compositions and performances. Gilberto will appear solo in a first-time collaboration with the Faena Jazz Series. Her performance will also serve as the debut concert for the South Beach Jazz Festival.
The Faena Jazz Series welcomes back Grammy-winning vocalist Nicole Zuraitis. Since her February 2024 appearance at Faena Theater, she has received two Grammy Awards and appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Saratoga Jazz Festival, Ronnie Scott’s, and Tanglewood, as well as New York venues including Dizzy’s Club, Birdland, and the Blue Note.
The Faena Jazz Series introduces vocalist Danielle Angrand in her first official public concert. A recent graduate of New World School of the Arts and a recipient of the YoungArts First Prize in Vocal Jazz, Angrand will be accompanied by pianist Shelly Berg.
VARI (Varijashree Anugopal) draws on Carnatic Indian music and jazz in her performances. She received a Grammy nomination for her recording of “A Rock Somewhere” with Jacob Collier and Anoushka Shankar. She has also collaborated with Michael League and Snarky Puppy, appeared at Miami’s GroundUP Music Festival, and recorded for GroundUP Music.
Argentine pianist, composer, and arranger Pablo Ziegler brings his Jazz Tango Trio to Faena Theater. For more than a decade, Ziegler performed in Astor Piazzolla’s quintet and appeared on recordings including Tango: Zero Hour, La Camorra, and Central Park Concert. He later led his own ensembles and won a Grammy Award for his album Jazz Tango.
Ziegler has performed at Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Ravinia Festival, SFJAZZ, the Montreal Jazz Festival, New York’s Blue Note, and Birdland, among other venues. He has also taught masterclasses at Yale University, Harvard University, New England Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, and Eastman School of Music.
Nicole Henry began as a Miami-area artist and has gone on to perform at festivals and headline shows in 20 countries. Her repertoire includes the American Songbook, classic and contemporary jazz, popular standards, blues, and original music.
Henry has raised more than $1.25 million for local Miami charities and served on the boards of the Miami Music Project, YoungArts, the Miami Children’s Initiative, and the Florida Chapter of the Recording Academy. Her philanthropic work includes a yearly benefit for the Children’s Trust. On four occasions, the mayors of Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County have declared February 17 “Nicole Henry Day.” Her performance closes the ninth annual Faena Jazz Series.
The Faena Jazz Series partners with organizations supporting music education and live performance in South Florida. WDNA 88.9 FM serves as a media partner, and Young Musicians Unite! participates through student internship opportunities connected to the concert series.
Additional listed sponsors and collaborators include Miami Piano Center, Steinway Pianos, Frost School of Music, and Young Musicians Unite.
Tickets: www.faenatheater.com | Box Office: (786) 655-6500
Founded by Alan Faena and Len Blavatnik in 2000, Faena is a global hospitality and lifestyle brand focused on luxury hospitality, residences, arts programming, and cultural experiences.
Inspired by European opera houses and classic Hollywood design, Faena Theater is an intimate Miami Beach performance venue seating approximately 150 guests. The venue regularly presents live music, cabaret, and the annual Faena Jazz Series.
Faena Miami Beach is a beachfront hospitality property within the Faena District, offering guest accommodations, dining, wellness, retail, and cultural programming in Miami Beach.
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