KST Presents: Suite Life ‘A Celebration of Billy Strayhorn & Gene Kelly’

About this event

The beloved holiday tradition Suite Life returns with a VIP Soundcheck Reception and the inaugural Suite Life Paradigm Awards. With musical direction by notable Pittsburgh-based saxophonist Yoko Suzuki and direction by the incomparable Monteze Freeland, this year’s production features youth artists from Alumni Theater Company, who share fresh perspectives on the legacies of Strayhorn and Kelly. Joining Yoko is an all-star band featuring Carolyn Perteete (vocal), Cliff Barnes (organ), Mark Strickland (guitar), and James Johnson III (drums).

The concert uplifts Pittsburgh as a home for today’s remarkable young artists, and the city that once inspired two of its greatest cultural visionaries, Billy Strayhorn and Gene Kelly. Through dance, live music, singing, and original spoken word, Suite Life reimagines timeless favorites for today.

The Suite Life VIP Soundcheck Reception debuts the inaugural Suite Life Paradigm Awards, celebrating two creative visionaries shaping the future of dance and music in the spirit of Billy Strayhorn and Gene Kelly.

Champion Suite Life and the artists who bring it to life: Purchase two $200 VIP tickets and you’ll be welcomed as a member of the Suite Life Host Committee and receive special recognition and admission for two to the VIP Soundcheck Reception and Honors Ceremony.