Jazz in Dialogue | An intimate performance with Peggy Stern & Alex Coke

The Mount, Edith Wharton's Cultural Center, presents Jazz in Dialog, an intimate evening curated by Michael Junkins that explores the creative pulse behind the music. Acclaimed jazz innovator Peggy Stern takes the stage in a performance interwoven with stories and conversation, joined by Alex Coke, a tenor saxophonist, flutist, and composer based in Austin and Amsterdam. Together, music and dialogue trace the arc of creativity — from the first spark of inspiration to the thrill of improvisation in the moment.
"Every bit of a musician's training and history goes into the creative process — you are what you eat, you play what you hear," says Peggy Stern. "I was classically trained at Eastman and NEC, so I have a strong background in Bach, Brahms, Ravel. I didn't begin to improvise until much later, but my compositional tools were already in place, and the transition became clear once I'd written my first tune."
The program spans historical jazz, original and contemporary compositions, world music, and moments of free improvisation. A bar will be open one hour before the show.
Register here: edithwharton.org/event/music-in-the-moment-an-intimate-performance-and-conversation-with-peggy-stern-featuring-saxophonist-alex-cole/