Jazz at Lincoln Center Picks Up New Director

  I  

Arts consultant Adrian Ellis has been appointed executive director of New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis said, “I know Adrian well from my work with AEA at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and his work in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. Adrian will bring his tremendous non-profit management experience to this role, as well as his creativity guiding cultural institutions honed through his consulting work.”

Ellis will replace Katherine E. Brown as executive director on Sept. 4. He will continue to chair AEA Consulting, where he is a founder and managing principal.



  • Cassandra_Wilson_%40_2026_Mark_Sheldon-2_copy_2.jpg

    Wilson’s ability to connect to audiences helped her to win two Grammy awards and multiple other accolades. She was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2022.

  • Pritesh_Walia_courtesy_Pritesh_Walia.jpg

    “The love from the jazz and music community restored my faith in humanity,” Walia wrote in an online post upon his release from detention at an ICE facility.

  • Poncho.jpeg

    ​Percussionist Poncho Sanchez was among the artists scheduled to perform at the now-canceled inaugural LA Jazz Festival.

  • GB_Headshot_copy.jpg

    Bertoncini was a specialist and advocate for the nylon-string acoustic guitar, turning down high-profile opportunities that were unsuited to the sound and techniques that he used with that instrument.

  • DB26_Jessica_Molasky_John_Pizzarelli_Tony_Bennett_Courtesy_John_Pizzarelli_copy.jpeg

    Jessica Molaskey and John Pizzarelli with Tony Bennett at their wedding reception in 1998.