About this Event
Filmed just six years before Duke Ellington’s passing and at the height of his creative power, the documentary film On the Road with Duke Ellington offers a rare and intimate portrait of one of America’s most influential artists. The film captures Ellington not only as a legendary composer and bandleader, but as a working artist on tour, revealing his wit, discipline, generosity, and deep connection to his musicians and audiences.
Following the screening, audiences are invited to a post-film discussion featuring Duke Ellington’s granddaughter, Mercedes Ellington—director, choreographer, performer, and founder of The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts. Drawing from her personal family history and distinguished career, Ellington will share unique perspectives on the film and her grandfather’s artistic legacy.
Jazz historian, author, and educator Dr. David Schroeder, will speak with Ellington, and provide historical context and guide a conversation on Ellington’s lasting impact and continued relevance today.
Photo Credit: Gordon Parks
SEATING POLICY | Programs are free and open to all, but registration is requested. Check-in line forms 45 minutes before the advertised start time. Registered guests are given priority check-in 15 to 30 minutes before start time. Five minutes before the advertised start time, all seats are released, regardless of registration, to our patrons in the stand-by line. If you arrive after the program starts, you will be seated at the discretion of our front-of-house staff.
STANDBY LINE | If registration is sold out or has ended, do not fret! We welcome you to come to the Library regardless of registration status and wait in our standby line, which forms 45 minutes before the advertised start time. Five minutes before the program starts, all remaining seats are released. While this is not guaranteed, we will do our best to get you into any of our programs.
ASSISTIVE LISTENING AND ASL | ASL interpretation and real-time (CART) captioning available upon request. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance by emailing [email protected].
BRUNO WALTER POLICY | Please note that any unoccupied seat will be released five minutes before the show begins and holding seats for anyone beyond that is prohibited. There is no food or drink allowed inside the venue.
AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING | Programs may be photographed and recorded by and at the discretion of the Library for the Performing Arts and will post signs indicating as such. If you would prefer your image not be captured, please let us know and we can seat you accordingly. Attending any program indicates your consent to being filmed/photographed and your consent to the use of your recorded image for any and all purposes of the New York Public Library.
PRESS | Please send all press inquiries to Alex Teplitzky at [email protected]. Please note that all recording, including professional video recordings, are prohibited without expressed consent from the Library.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts -Bruno Walter Auditorium, Enter via 111 Amsterdam Ave. between West 64th and 65th Street, New York, United States
USD 0.00
