Desde Otro 0/ From Another Zero: Celebrated Jazz Trumpeter and Film Composer Terence Blanchard to Speak and Perform at UC San Diego Spaces for MLK Day

Blanchard, a five-time Grammy-award winner, and two-time Oscar nominee will speak at The Guggenheim Theatre at UC San Diego Park & Market on Monday, January 16

A performance will take place with his longtime E-Collective band and the acclaimed Turtle Island Quartet at the Price Center East Ballroom on UC San Diego’s main campus in La Jolla on Tuesday, January 17

Both events are open to the public.

Press Release

Terence Blanchard by Cedric Angeles

Terence Blanchard, the celebrated jazz trumpeter and film composer, will come to San Diego January 16 to 17 for a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day lecture and performance. Blanchard will join UC San Diego Professor Emeritus of Music Cecil Lytle for a live conversation at The Guggenheim Theatre in UC San Diego Park & Market (Park & Market) in downtown’s East Village on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Monday, January 16) as part of the Helen Edison Lecture Series. The next day (January 17), he will perform with E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet at Price Center East Ballroom on UC San Diego’s main campus in La Jolla in an evening produced by ArtPower at UC San Diego. Both events are open to the public.

Throughout his 40-year career, Blanchard has composed more than 40 film scores and performed in more than 50. He is a frequent collaborator with director Spike Lee, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards his work on Lee’s films, including 2018’s “BlacKkKlansman” and 2020’s “Da 5 Bloods.” Other film credits include performances in “The Princess & the Frog” and scores for “The Woman King” and “Malcolm X.” He has won five Grammy Awards from 16 nominations for his jazz performance work. Currently, Blanchard is the Endowed Chair of Jazz Studies at University of California, Los Angeles.

“Terence Blanchard is a living legend, and we are thrilled to welcome him to San Diego as part of the wonderful tapestry of celebrations our community is organizing to mark MLK Day all weekend,”

said Andrew Waltz, Director of Arts Management, UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies.

“The mission of Park & Market is to bring influential people, performances and ideas together in a uniquely accessible space, and Mr. Blanchard is one speaker we are truly excited about. His speaking engagement at Park & Market will be a unique opportunity for all San Diegans to hear from someone of his stature in the arts on an important observance day for our nation.”

Blanchard’s MLK Day speaking engagement at The Guggenheim Theatre at Park & Market will focus on his life, career and creative process as a composer and performer. The Helen Edison Lecture Series, which is sponsoring Blanchard’s engagement at Park & Market, has presented free public lectures since 1985 on issues that advance humanitarian purposes and objectives. Cecil Lytle, UC San Diego Professor Emeritus of Music, will interview Blanchard and moderate the event. An accomplished pianist, Lytle has earned a reputation as a recitalist performing 19th and 20th century piano compositions, and has produced Emmy-nominated music history documentaries for public television.

Blanchard’s performance with E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet at UC San Diego’s main campus will include music from their latest album Absence, an homage to legendary composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, featuring pieces written by Shorter as well as original compositions. The performance is produced by ArtPower at UC San Diego, which is focused on presenting vibrant, multi-disciplinary performing arts experiences that transform the diverse cultural life of both the San Diego Community and UC San Diego’s campus.

“We look forward to hosting Mr. Blanchard, E-Collective band and Turtle Island Quartet on our main campus for what promises to be an unforgettable evening,” said Colleen Kollar Smith, Executive Director of UC San Diego’s Campus Performances and Events Office. “Mr. Blanchard is a creative force and vital contributor to multiple musical genres, including jazz, TV, film and opera, and it will be a privilege for our audiences to experience him performing live.”