Ella Fitzgerald Celebration

If Ella Fitzgerald were alive today, April 25 would be her 100th birthday, and the Great American Songbook Foundation will celebrate the occasion with a special open house that Tuesday evening in the Palladium’s Songbook Exhibit Gallery. This year the gallery is presenting Ella Sings the Songbook, an installation featuring classic recordings, historic performance videos, and little-known facts about the woman many consider the finest interpreter of this timeless musical catalog. Come join us from 4 to 6 p.m. April 25 to enjoy free cake, wine, tours and festivities!

About Ella Fitzgerald

Often referred to as the First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz, and Lady Ella, Fitzgerald was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing and intonation, and a “horn-like” improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing.

In 1993, Fitzgerald capped off her sixty-year career with her last public performance. Three years later, she died at the age of 79, following years of decline in her health. After her passing, Fitzgerald’s influence lived on through her fourteen Grammy Awards, National Medal of Arts, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and tributes in the form of stamps, music festivals, and theater namesakes.

Portable version for schools

In addition to the main Ella Sings the Songbook exhibit, assembled in cooperation with the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, the Songbook Foundation also has developed a portable version for loan to schools and community groups. The traveling exhibit will be on display May 11-25 at Tipton High School for academic use and for public viewing at the school’s annual Stage & Swing concert May 19.

More information

For more information on hosting the traveling exhibit, contact the Songbook Foundation at 317-844-2251.