Events

First grade can be a scary thing, even without the burden of making history. In October 1961, 13 first graders became some of the smallest pioneers of the Civil Rights Movement when they desegregated the Memphis City Schools. 'The Memphis 13' is their story. This documentary collects the stories of 13 families united by a comment moment in history, but experiences individually; stories of normal children living through an extraordinary moment. A half century later, they are proud of having broken a barrier, but many remain burdened by this difficult experience. The film uncovers a hidden story of the Movement, honors the children who lived it, and raises questions about the role of children in movements for social change. With a special guest panel discussion after the film.

Crosstown Arts presents “Revisiting Sketches of Crosstown” feat. Sean Murphy with special guests Jim Spake + Tom Lonardo in The Green Room. The...

Sound Fuzion is the Rudi E. Schedit School of Music’s flagship popular/commercial music ensemble. This touring ensemble serves as musical ambassadors for the University of Memphis and performs for thousands of fans yearly. Consisting of eight vocalists, rhythm section, horn section and two engineers, Sound Fuzion provides its members with professional performance experience and prepares artists for success in the music industry. Sound Fuzion performs all styles of popular music including Top 40, R&B, hip-hop, rock, and country. Members receive a half-tuition scholarship and are highly selected each year.

The Mahogany Chamber Music Series makes its exhilarating return in February by elevating the awareness underrepresented composers as well as standard works for voice. Mahogany series curator, Artina McCain brings along esteemed colleagues mezzo-soprano Paulina Villareal, pianist Jonathan Tsay, baritone James Rodriguez, and soprano Gwendolyn Alfred to share a variety of genres through this vocally virtuosic program.

A film director (François Truffaut) tries to get his movie made while observing the real-life dramas in his actors' lives. Fading icon Severine (Valentina Cortese) forgets her lines when she drinks, while her co-star, Alexandre (Jean-Pierre Aumont), is fixated on his lover's imminent arrival. Meanwhile, insecure young star Alphonse (Jean-Pierre Léaud) has emotional outbursts, yet seems well-balanced compared to Julie (Jacqueline Bisset), a British actress recuperating from a nervous breakdown.

Stephen Lee is the Founder/Artistic and Executive Director of the Memphis Jazz Workshop, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. He has an undergraduate degree in Jazz Performance from City College University in New York City. Master in Education from Freed Hardeman. He has been in the education sector in Memphis since 2010, teaching for three years in the Shelby County Schools system, five years at the Stax Music Academy, and seven years as a fellow for the Memphis Music Initiative.

He has worked with Gregory Porter, Esperanza Spalding, Kirk Whalum, Warren Wolf, Corcoran Holt, Ulysses Owens Jr and many more. Lee has received numerous awards, including the Rhythm of Gospel Award, Steinway & Sons Top Music Teacher Voted by Amro Music Store, WC Handy Award, and Jimmie Lunceford Award. He has been nominated for a First Round Stellar Award and the Kennedy Center's Citizen Artist Fellowship. He is a proud Carver Cobras Alum and member of Omega Psi Psi.

Crosstown Arts presents the Michael Shults Quartet featuring Bennett Wood in The Green Room. The Green Room at Crosstown Arts...

Marcello Mastroianni plays Guido Anselmi, a director whose new project is collapsing around him, along with his life. One of the greatest films about film ever made, Federico Fellini’s 8½ (Otto e mezzo) turns one man’s artistic crisis into a grand epic of the cinema. An early working title for 8½ was The Beautiful Confusion, and Fellini’s masterpiece is exactly that: a shimmering dream, a circus, and a magic act.

The S.C. Ramblers is a brass band hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, specializing in the trademark sounds of street bands, initially made popular by the street musicians of New Orleans.

Everything Yes is an American jazz fusion band spearheaded by the drummer Zack Graybeal, known famously as ZackGrooves on his platforms, Sean Reeser, prolific composer, producer and tenor sax master, and Cole Sipe, composer, sound engineer and magistral bassist. This powerhouse of a band brings a fresh take on the style while staying true to the roots.

Come celebrate classic video games with the community at Crosstown Concourse!

Fearlessly forging ahead down country roads, CMT Next Women of Country singer-songwriter Julie Williams (she/her) carries her mixed-race heritage proudly, just as she carries her tunes. Raised in Florida, Julie is turning heads in Nashville’s country music scene with the soft but powerful songs that capture the soul of growing up as a mixed-race child in the South.