PBS's popular 'Next at the Kennedy Center' returns with Ben Folds and Joshua Redman

This series explores the influence of changemakers across art forms, genres, and backgrounds.

PUBLISHED APR 2, 2024

Ben Folds’ long-running Declassified series with the NSO is produced with the goal of dissolving perceived barriers between artists and orchestras.

Arlington, Virginia (Release): The 'Next at the Kennedy Center', a multi-year partnership and collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to spotlight critical contributions to the arts, returns to PBS with two new performance specials this April featuring indie music icon Ben Folds and renowned jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman.

This primetime series explores the enduring influence of artistic changemakers across art forms, genres, and backgrounds on Friday, April 12 with 'Ben Folds Presents: Declassified' and 'Joshua Redman, Where Are We' on Friday, April 19. Both episodes premiere at 10pm ET on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS App.

Ben Folds performs on stage with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra at Perth Concert Hall on January 28, 2021 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Matt Jelonek/WireImage)

In 'Ben Folds Presents: Declassified', Folds invites six-time Grammy-winner Jacob Collier, along with Grammy-winning jazz sensation Laufey and chart-topping English singer-songwriter Dodie, to join him and the National Symphony Orchestra in reimagining their music through an orchestral lens

Guest artists in 'Ben Folds Presents: Declassified' are all rising superstars in their own genres. Grammy Award winner Laufey (pronounced lay-vay) became the most popular jazz artist on Spotify in 2023 and creates music about young love and self-discovery. Dodie is a singer, songwriter, author and YouTuber, whose debut album 'Build A Problem' debuted at #1 on the Official UK Album Charts. Collier is a multi-hyphenate, Grammy Award-winning recording artist.

(L-R) Gabrielle Cavassa and Joshua Redman perform live on stage during a concert at the Columbia Theater on November 6, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Frank Hoensch/Redferns)

In 'Joshua Redman, where are we', Redman performs songs from his new album, where are we, as he explores the myths and realities of life in America. He is accompanied on this journey by soulful vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa and an all-star ensemble featuring pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Brian Blade. The group explores the duality of differing jazz standards interpreted with the improvisational brilliance and melodic invention that is a hallmark of Redman’s artistry.

This also marks his first time collaborating with a vocalist on one of his own projects, 'After Minneapolis (Face Toward Mo[u]rning' -- a song on the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. Created during the pandemic, 'where are we' both commemorates and critiques America through contrasting mashups from different genres and eras: From Bruce Springsteen’s 'Streets of Philadelphia' to his renditions of 'Stars Fell on Alabama' and John Coltrane’s 'Alabama'.