Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts Presents Bessie, Billie, and Nina

On Thursday, March 24, 2022, at 8 PM in Pepperdine University’s Smothers Theatre in Malibu, three dynamic vocalists—Charenée Wade, Vanisha Gould, and Tahira Clayton—backed by an all-female jazz band will pay tribute to three of history’s greatest jazz singers in Bessie, Billie, and Nina: Pioneering Women in Jazz. 

The trailblazing singers Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Nina Simone spoke to and for the disenfranchised as women, African-Americans, and artists, defying social norms and embracing self-empowerment through their art. Produced by GRAMMY-winning Eli Wolf and with arrangements by pianist and musical director Carmen Staff, Bessie, Billie, and Nina celebrates the enduring legacies of these iconic women and artists with performances of their classic songs. 

To learn more and purchase tickets to attend, visit the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts website.