Alexis Lombre with Mae Ya Carter Ryan: Play On Benefit Concert for Merit School of Music
Chicago-born jazz pianist, vocalist, and composer Alexis Lombre will headline Merit School of Music’s 6th annual Play On benefit concert, with special performances by Mae Ya Carter Ryan and Merit's Honors Jazz Combo. Proceeds from the concert will benefit equal access to music education across the Chicagoland area. This event is open to all music lovers, and the Merit community welcomes new friends to enjoy the evening’s concert together!
Alexis Lombre is a pianist, vocalist, composer, and producer from Chicago. She discovered early that the true essence of music is not just about what you hear, but how it makes you feel. Her mission is to keep the 'Soul' in music alive. Her latest single, "Boundaries," a powerful anthem about standing up for oneself and taking ownership of personal space, was originally released in June as part of Apple Music's Juneteenth Freedom 2024 Jazz playlist for Black Music Month and became available on all music platforms as of September.
Lombre’s other releases include the single “Come Find Me,” which she describes as “lyrically, a gospel song; harmonically, a jazz song; and rhythmically, a hip-hop/R&B song. I didn’t create the song with any borders.” As JazzTimes notes, “Lombre realized early on that by refusing to be constrained by convention—whether so-called 'jazz' or otherwise—she’d be honoring, rather than defiling, the rich heritage she’d come to embrace.”
In addition to composing, producing, and performing her own music, she has toured the United States, Canada, Cuba, Brazil, France, and South Africa with artists such as Jon Batiste, Terrace Martin, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ledisi, Lizz Wright, STOUT, Keyon Harrold, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Marcus Miller, Nicole Mitchell, Jamila Woods, DJ D-Nice, and the Miles Davis Electric Band. Lombre was awarded the inaugural 2022 New Music Next Jazz Legacy Award and the 2023 Luminarts Award.
Mae Ya Carter Ryan is a Chicago-based singer with a powerful, soulful voice. After attending Merit School of Music and having recently graduated from Berklee College of Music, she is making her mark on the music scene far and wide with appearances on WGN’s Morning Show, CBS’s Someone You Should Know segment, WCIU’s You and Me This Morning, ABC’s Heart and Soul, WTTW PBS, the Ovation Network’s Young Marvels, Hallmark’s Home and Family Show and more.
Proceeds from this concert will benefit Merit School of Music, which is dedicated to helping thousands of young people transform their lives by removing barriers to high-quality music education, with more than 80% of students participating at a reduced or no cost. Merit enables motivated students, regardless of economic circumstance, to develop their talent and to use music as a springboard for achieving their full personal potential. Learn more about Merit School of Music at www.meritmusic.org.(opens in a new tab)
