Inside Art + Jazz with WPKN
2026-05-02 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
MoCACT welcomes you into its entry gallery space to enjoy music and the arts in an intersecting social event. Guest DJ Jim Motavalli will play a curated selection of songs throughout the night in conjunction with our current exhibition, Art, Jazz + the Blues.
A freelance journalist whose jazz writing appears in the New York City Jazz Record, Jim is also the author of nine books and serves as a radio host and publicity director for the listener-supported WPKN—described as the “greatest radio station in the world” by The New Yorker. Throughout the evening, he will guide the journey by introducing each album segment with the stories and historical context that define these recordings. His curated set features a narrative thread through the genre, including:

Art Tatum – “Tea for Two”
Charlie Parker – “Donna Lee”
Jaco Pastorius – “Donna Lee”
Thelonious Monk – “Well, You Needn’t”
Horace Silver – “Song for My Father” (alongside Steely Dan’s “Rikki, Don’t Lose That
Number”)
Miles Davis – “All Blues” (alongside Tim Buckley’s “Strange Feeling”)
John Coltrane – “Giant Steps”
Eric Dolphy – “Warm Canto”
Chet Baker – “Time After Time”
Johnny Hartman – “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning”
Art Ensemble of Chicago – “Odwalla”
Dave Brubeck – “Blue Rondo à la Turk”

Tickets

One Degree of Separation: Jazz in ConnecticutA Community Conversation with Tom Duffy and Wayne Escoffery
2026-05-07 18:00 - 20:00 | MoCA Westport, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
TICKETS

In conjunction with the exhibition Art, Jazz + the Blues, One Degree of Separation: Jazz in Connecticut explores the vibrant lineage of jazz in Connecticut and its influence on the global stage. This community conversation brings together two titans of the Yale School of Music, composer and conductor Thomas Duffy and Grammy-winning saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, for an intimate look at the history of jazz at Yale and beyond.
The program will weave together personal stories of mentorship and collaboration with a live musical interlude featuring Escoffery on the saxophone. Against the backdrop of jazz’s social and political history, Duffy and Escoffery will discuss how the genre serves as a bridge between the university, the community, and the world.
About the Speakers

Thomas Duffy
Thomas Duffy is a Professor in the Practice of Music and Director of University Bands at Yale University, where he has been a pillar of the musical community since 1982. An acclaimed composer and conductor, Duffy’s work sits at the intersection of music, science, and social impact. He is the creator of the award-winning “Duffy-Honan Intervention,” a musical training tool for nursing students, and has led the Yale Bands on twenty-two international tours across twenty-three countries. A former Deputy Dean of the Yale School of Music, he has been awarded the Yale Tercentennial Medal and the Elm/Ivy Award for his advocacy and leadership in the arts.

Wayne Escoffery
Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Wayne Escoffery is a master of the tenor and soprano saxophone and a perennial winner of the Downbeat Critics Poll. Currently the Director of Jazz Ensembles at Yale University, Escoffery’s career has seen him perform alongside legends such as Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and the Mingus Big Band. A New Haven native and protégé of Jackie McLean, he founded the Black Art Jazz Collective and has toured the globe as a premier sideman and bandleader. His most recent album, Alone (2024), featuring Gerald Clayton and Ron Carter, has been hailed by critics as a masterpiece, receiving 5 stars from The London Times.

Art Adventures
2026-05-09 12:00 - 13:30 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Book Now: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/mocactevents/event/aadventu/
Your child can join us every Saturday for a relaxed and inspiring drop-in art class at the museum!
MoCA/CT Art Studio Classroom – entrance in back
$25.00/per child
Ages 4+

Art Adventures
2026-05-16 12:00 - 13:30 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Book Now: https://checkout.mocact.org/EventAvailability?EventId=401
Your child can join us every Saturday for a relaxed and inspiring drop-in art class at the museum!
MoCA/CT Art Studio Classroom – entrance in back
$25.00/per child
Ages 4+

MoCACT Sessions: Karisa Chiu, violin and Frederic Chiu, piano
2026-05-16 19:00 - 21:00 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Experience an evening of expressive brilliance with internationally acclaimed violinist Karisa Chiu—celebrated for her “distinctive and fascinating intellect” and prizewinning virtuosity—and renowned pianist Frederic Chiu, whose expansive career and imaginative programming have captivated audiences worldwide. Together, they bring depth, nuance, and electrifying artistry to a program spanning Fauré’s elegance, Prokofiev’s intensity, and Bright Sheng’s evocative contemporary voice.

Tickets

Art Adventures
2026-05-23 12:00 - 13:30 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Book Now: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/mocactevents/event/aradventu/
Your child can join us every Saturday for a relaxed and inspiring drop-in art class at the museum!
MoCA/CT Art Studio Classroom – entrance in back
$25.00/per child
Ages 4+

Film Screening: "Jazz on a Summer's Day" with Q+A
2026-05-28 18:30 - 21:00 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Film Screening of 1959 Jazz on a Summer’s Day
Followed by a Q+A with Brian Kane
Thursday May 28 at 6:30–9:00PM
Film duration: 1h 25m
Register Here: $20 general admission, $10 seniors, $10 students, and free for members

Experience the intersection of jazz history and visual art at MoCACT on Thursday, May 28, at 6:30 PM for a screening of the 1959 documentary Jazz on a Summer’s Day directed by photographer Bert Stern. The film captures the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, documented in vibrant color and high-fashion style. Rather than a standard concert film, it unfolds as a visual poem that interweaves legendary musical performances with scenes of the coastal crowds and the America’s Cup yacht races. This landmark documentary serves as a cinematic extension of our current exhibition, Art, Jazz + the Blues, bringing the same energy and rhythm found in our galleries to the screen.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Brian Kane, a scholar of music theory and philosophy who specializes in the intersection of sound, improvisation, and 20th-century jazz. Kane brings a unique perspective to the film’s legacy, exploring how these legendary performances continue to resonate within the history of American art. Brian Kane is Professor of Music and Film and Media Studies at Yale University. He earned his PhD from UC Berkeley and was a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University before joining Yale University. He teaches and writes about jazz, sound, media, and technology—and how the ways we listen influence how we understand the world. He is the author of two books published by Oxford University Press: Sound Unseen: Acousmatic Sound in Theory and Practice (2014) and Hearing Double: Jazz, Ontology, Auditory Culture (2024). Kane leads Yale’s Sound Studies Working Group and is a founding editor of nonsite.org, an online journal of arts and ideas.
As you watch the film, you will recognize the very figures who served as direct muses for several artists in our exhibition. The film features Louis Armstrong, a vital inspiration for Richard Hunt, Faith Ringgold, and Tracy Sugarman, alongside Thelonious Monk, whose improvisational genius influenced Sam Gilliam and is captured in John H. Nichols’ Pianorama in our larger gallery space. Additionally, the appearance of Mahalia Jackson highlights her profound impact on the work of Romare Bearden. Join us for an evening of legendary film and insightful conversation.

Brian Kane

Art Adventures
2026-05-30 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-06-06 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-06-13 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-06-20 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-06-27 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-07-04 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-07-11 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-07-18 12:00 - 13:30 and 13 more dates | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Book Now: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/mocactevents/event/aadventure/
Your child can join us every Saturday for a relaxed and inspiring drop-in art class at the museum!
MoCA/CT Art Studio Classroom – entrance in back
$25.00/per child
Ages 4+

Camp MoCA Summer Camp
2026-06-15 08:00 - 17:00, 2026-06-15 09:00 - 2026-08-17 15:00 | MoCA Westport, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Full Day 9-3 and Half Day 9-12:30.
