UK Saxophonist YolanDa Brown’s “Coming to America” Tour

Award-winning Saxophonist, Broadcaster & Author YolanDa Brown Confirms first-ever ‘Coming to America Tour’ 2024

Appearing in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta and more

A delicious fusion of reggae, jazz, and soul

Critically acclaimed and award-winning saxophonist YolanDa Brown wears many hats, including musician, broadcaster, author, philanthropist and entrepreneur. After many years of extraordinary success in her home country of England, Brown will embark on her first-ever tour of the United States. Her ‘Coming to America’ tour will kick off off May 26th at New York’s famed Joe’s Pub, and continue on to Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and Seattle. See below for a list of dates.

Brown, a double winner of the UK’s MOBO Award (Music of Black Origin), writes and performs a delicious fusion of reggae, jazz, and soul. She has toured with The Temptations, Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Billy Ocean and collaborated with artists such as Dave Stewart from Eurythmics, Snarky Puppy’s Bill Laurance, Kelly Jones from Stereophonics and Rick Astley. She is currently composing music for the iconic Sesame Street, animated series called Bea’s Block on HBO Max, as well as the Netflix Series CoComelon Lane.

She was awarded an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) for services to music, music education and broadcasting in the 2023 New Year Honors List by his Majesty the King. In July 2022, Brown was appointed Chair of BPI – the representative voice for record labels in the UK. BPI organises The BRIT Awards, The Mercury Prize and co-owns The Official Charts. The Lord Lieutenant of Greater London appointed Brown as a Deputy Lieutenant in October 2022.

A champion for the importance of music education, Brown is Chair of Youth Music, sits on the Arts Council National Council, is a trustee of the PRS Foundation, an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust and London Music Fund, on English Heritage’s Blue Plaque panel and sits on the advisory board of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2021, she was invited by the Department of Education to sit on the advisory panel of the National Plan for Music Education. November 2022 saw Brown awarded the Music Week – Women in Music “Music Champion Award”.

During the pandemic with Sony Music and Twinkl, Brown rolled out her bespoke online music lesson plans for teachers, parents and pupils in primary schools nationwide, an estimated 30,000 children have used the resources. In 2018 along with James JP Drake, she launched the “Drake YolanDa Award” offering grants to emerging musicians between the ages of 16 – 30.

Brown graduated with a first-class degree in Operations management from the University of Kent, followed by 2 Masters degrees and studied a PhD for four years, before taking a hiatus from her thesis to pursue her music career. She awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by the University of East London and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music in 2023.

She is a broadcaster working across TV and Radio, including her eponymous series for CBeebies, “YolanDa’s Band Jam”, which won the RTSNW award as Best Children’s Programme. For the BBC Proms she hosted the Ella and Dizzy Centenary, as well as Last night of the Proms, Gospel Choir of the Year for BBC One and BBC Young Jazz Musician of the year. Host of the London Philharmonic Orchestra podcast Offstage, Brown presents a series talking to a range of musicians within the LPO about their experiences as orchestral musicians.

Over on the airways, she hosts YolanDa Brown on Saturday on Jazz FM, presents the best of classical music on Scala Radio on Sundays, BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends and can be heard regularly across BBC Radio 2 and Magic FM.

You may have also spotted her flexing her general knowledge muscles on such shows as: ‘Bridge of Lies’ with Ross Kemp, ‘University Challenge’, ‘The Hit List’, Richard Osman’s ‘House of Games’, ‘Celebrity Mastermind’, ‘Pointless Celebrities’ which she won, ‘Celebrity Eggheads’ and Gareth Malone’s ‘All Star Music Quiz’. She even got to indulge her other passion of classic cars on ‘Celebrity Antiques Road Trip’, scouring the country for hidden treasures and she was recently a sitter on ‘Portrait Artist of the Year’ on Sky Arts.

An entrepreneur too, Brown launched the London Saxophone Festival in 2018, currently in its third edition, and is about to launch her own music venue and restaurant, Soul Mama, in 2024. Brown loves to drive fast cars around racetracks in her spare time and can even rattle off a Rubik’s Cube in around five minutes (on a good day).

A true renaissance woman, continually scaling new heights in her diverse endeavors.

YolanDa Brown On Tour:
5/26 – Joe’s Pub – New York, NY
5/29 – The Promontory – Chicago, IL
5/30 – St. James Live – Atlanta, GA
5/31 – South Jazz Club – Philadelphia, PA
6/1 – South Jazz Club – Philadelphia, PA
6/2 – Crooner’s Club – Minneapolis, MN
6/4 – Triple Door – Seattle, WA

YolanDa Brown Online:
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