Josh Lawrence – Still We Dream

PNC Arts Alive Jazz Cultural Voices Series is proud to present trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Josh Lawrence on his Still We Still Dream album tour. The album, released in August, is “set of conversations—between Thelonius Monk and Frédéric Chopin, between past and present, between the real and the imagined.”

Lawrence has earned critical acclaim and is acknowledged as a “preeminent voice among young composers” (Downbeat 2017). Throughout his musical career, marked by numerous accolades and prestigious commissions, Lawrence has made significant contributions to the jazz continuum.

His artistic journey is illuminated by awards from institutions such as the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, American Composers Forum, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Chamber Music America, Come Hear North Carolina, and Festival of New Trumpet Music.

As a trumpeter, Lawrence has recorded several solo albums with Posi-Tone Records, and co-led two albums with the Fresh Cut Orchestra on Ropeadope Records. He has received three Grammy Award nominations, two for his collaborations with pianist Orrin Evans’ Captain Black Big Band and Smoke Sessions Recordsand one for his work on bassist Adam Blackstone’s album “Legacy (The Instrumental Jawn).”  Lawrence’s musical versatility is evident in his contributions to recordings by renowned artists like Erykah Badu, Boyz II Men, Caleb Curtis, Matt Davis’ Aerial Photograph, Lizanne Knott, Brian Marsella’s Imaginarium, Jonathan Michel, Peter Nelson, New Faces, Jazmine Sullivan, Laurin Talese, and Tarbaby.

A lifelong learner, Lawrence studied under the tutelage of legendary pianist Barry Harris and holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a Master’s degree from the Juilliard School in New York. His time spent with Harris helped to inspire Still We Still Dream:

“That impulse grew from my time studying with Barry [Harris], who could take a melody from Bach and recast it in the voice of Bud Powell. To Barry, there were no barriers between jazz and classical music—only ideas, sound, and the expressive potential of the piano. That philosophy guided these quintet arrangements, which seek not to fuse genres but to let musical traditions encounter each other on open terms.”

This performance offers an intimate glimpse into Josh Lawrence’s ever-evolving artistry — a blend of technical mastery, emotional depth, and fearless exploration. Through Still We Still Dream, Lawrence and his ensemble invite listeners to experience the fluid conversation between genres, generations, and dreams themselves. It’s a celebration of jazz’s living tradition, reimagined with vision, reverence, and boundless creativity.