WBGO 88.3 FM Hosts 45th Birthday Celebration 4/12 Newark Symphony Hall

Celebrate 45 years of great music, interviews, news, history and more with WBGO 88.3 FM, Newark Public Radio, the global leader in jazz radio, on Friday, April 12, 2024, at Newark Symphony Hall, 1020 Broad Street. Meet and mingle with the station’s current and former hosts, board members, local politicians and WBGO members and then find a spot on the dance floor and let the rhythms take control.

The celebration begins with an opening VIP cocktail reception from 6:00 - 8:00 pm, with live music, a cake-cutting ceremony, hors d'oeuvres and an open bar. Tyreek McDole, the 24 year-old vocalist and only the second male singer to win the prestigious 2023 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, leads his quintet in a set of jazz standards highlighted by his bold, velvety voice. He has shared the stage with Gary Bartz, Theo Croker, Nicholas Payton, Johnny O’Neal, Emmet Cohen and numerous others, but he steps out front and center at this celebration to continue WBGO’s tradition of presenting the best and brightest rising stars to lead the way into the future.

The evening’s festivities continue with a dance party from 8:00 pm - midnight. Angélika Beener and DJ Prince Hakim will spin a diverse mix of moveable grooves. In addition to her DJ skills, Beener is a journalist, producer and host of the podcast series, Milestones: Celebrating the Culture, which airs in partnership with WBGO Studios. Hakim, the son of Robert “Kool” Bell of Kool & The Gang, has mastered turntables at the Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee, Art Basel in Miami and New York City’s Sony Hall. With these two soulful and spirited DJs at the helm, guests should be prepared for an evening of non-stop dancing.

“We are excited and proud to remain the leading source for jazz for these 45 years, and we look forward to continue to present the best in jazz, blues and news on-air, at live events and over the internet to listeners around the world for decades to come,” said WBGO President and CEO Steve Williams. “While our love and respect for the history of the music and the station grow stronger, we will always look ahead and be faithful to nurturing old and new music, the musicians and the art form.”

Ticket Packages include: WBGO Members Special Prices

$100 VIP Reception + Dance Party

$45 Dance Party 2 for 1 (bring a friend and save)

$30 Dance Party single ticket

Non WBGO Members

$125 VIP Reception + Dance Party

$45 Dance Party single ticket

45th Anniversary Special Promotion: Tickets + WBGO Membership

$160 VIP Reception + Dance Party; for an additional $35 join as a WBGO Member for one year

$105 Dance Party for 2; for an additional $15 join as a WBGO Member for one year

For more information and to purchase tickets, log on to: wbgo.org/45BD.

Other 45th anniversary celebrations include a series of Digital Upfronts to promote and discuss programs/podcasts to be held throughout April, a party in Brooklyn with Felix Hernández on May 11 and a Birthday Benefit Dinner at Gotham restaurant in New York City on June 11. More details and events will be announced later.

About WBGO 88.3

Founded on April 9,1979, by Robert G. Ottenhoff, a young Rutgers University communications specialist and jazz fan, WBGO is a publicly-supported cultural institution that preserves and elevates America’s music: jazz and blues. WBGO reaches a weekly audience of nearly 300,000 in the New York/New Jersey metro area via 88.3 FM. Through programs such as Rhythm Revue, Felix Hernández’s oldies-but-goodies R&B/soul show, and Jazz Night in America, produced in partnership with National Public Radio (NPR), Jazz at Lincoln Center and WBGO. From its position as content provider to NPR, WBGO’s reach extends to millions across the country. From its home base of Newark, New Jersey, Public Radio station WBGO has long been an anchor institution in community engagement through its partnerships, concerts, education and news programming. Through its informative and entertaining announcers, award-winning original arts programming, expansive educational and community outreach and pioneering jazz tourism, WBGO will continue to be “the jazz source” for years to come.

For more information, log on to https://www.wbgo.org