CHARU SURI 

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CHARU SURI is a pianist and composer who blends genres, bridging the East and West. 

With mood-invoking ragas (to be played according to the time of day) for many of her compositions, she weaves techniques and sounds from several places including India, Europe and Africa. Her work has been described as "singular," "works of genius," and "ground-breaking"  by publications from Rolling Stone, NYC Jazz Record, Broadway World to All About Jazz, and she has won many awards. She was named Gold Entertainer at the International Singer Songwriters Association (ISSA) Awards in 2022, and has won several  Intercontinental Music Awards and Global Music Awards for her albums including The Book of Ragas, RAGAS & WALTZES, and RAGS & RAGAS. 

She also became the first Indian artist to collaborate with Preservation Hall Jazz Band in New Orleans in her latest album, RAGAS & WALTZES, that features drummer Joe Lastie. Previously, she has released "The Book of Ragas," "RAGS & RAGAS"  and "The New American Songbook" at Carnegie Hall. Tonight marks her fifth appearance. 

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She is an educational partner with Steinway & Sons, and she also teaches piano to many students throughout New Jersey and New York. Her work has been performed by Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Steve Gadd, John Patitucci, and Preservation Hall Jazz Band among others.

 

Charu currently serves as a Governor in the New York Chapter of the Recording Academy. 

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PREMIK RUSSELL TUBBS (Flute)

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Premik Russell Tubbs, (in his 11th Carnegie Hall performance), is an award winning multi-instrumentalist virtuoso master of all flutes, saxophones, EWI and lap steel guitar whose brilliance spans all arenas from jazz fusion to global to traditional eastern mellifluous melodies. He is an original member of The Mahavishnu Orchestra, wrote and performed wind music for Whitney Houston's first two Grammy Nominated albums (including How Will I Know), has toured the world and shared the stage with Carlos Santana, Sting, Ravi and Anoushka Shankar, Dr L. Subramaniam, has performed countless dozens of concerts with Kavita Krishnamurthy, as well as Narada Michael Walden, Herbie Hancock, Jean-Luc Ponty, Clarence Clemons, Lonnie Liston-Smith, Krishna Das, Steve Gorn, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Pete Seeger, Will Ackerman (to name just a few) has had multiple sold out performances at London's Royal Albert Hall, has toured Russia and continental Europe with Boris Grebenshchikov and has performed on dozens of ZMR Award Winning albums. His latest innovative masterpiece, Oneness-World, created with his co-writer and wife Margee Minier-Tubbs, weaves together a rich tapestry of jazz fusion, global influences as well as Indian & Celtic Influences while its complex musical exploration takes the listener on a sonic journey into the heart of the interconnectedness of all humanity.  More Info/Full Bio: PremikMusic.com

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TESS REMY-SCHUMACHER (Cello)

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Tess Remy-Schumacher is a featured Solo Artist on Kitt Wakeley's 2023 GRAMMY® winning CD "An Adoption Story.”  She won 1st Prize at the International Carlo-Zecchi Competition in Rome, multiple Silver and Bronze Medals at the Global Music Awards, Grand Prize of the 2022 Akademia Music Award and 2023 Hall of Fame Inductee, Best Instrumentalist of the 2023 and 2024 InterContinental Music Awards, and the CL Shaddock Award of the 2023 Mississippi Music Awards.  She was a 2022 Native American Music Awards nominee, a 2023 and 2024 Josie Music Awards nominee, and is a Featured Artist on Kirsten Copley’s 2023 GRAMMY® nominated CD “Aquamarine.”

 

Her most recent Album “Remembrance and Renewal” just received the World Entertainment Award for “Best Classical Album” 2025.  As a concert soloist, she performed in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the U.S., including Wigmore Hall in London, Jubilee Hall in Singapore, Bradley Hall in Chicago, and multiple times Carnegie Recital Hall in New York.

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Among her 20+ albums are premiere recordings of David Maslanka's Cello Concerto "Remember Me" and Carter Pann's Cello Concerto "High Songs" both with UCO Wind Symphony under conductor Dr. Brian Lamb. 

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Dr. Remy earned her DMA and MM from the University of Southern California and her Artist Diploma (terminal degree) from the Musikhochschule Koeln, Germany.  She studied with Boris Pergamenschikow, Eleonore Schoenfeld, Lynn Harrell, and Jacqueline du Pre. 

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Tess was a Visiting Scholar and Performance Fellow at Harvard University 2010-2012.  Previously, she was tenured faculty at James Cook University, Australia.  Currently, she is Professor for Cello and cofounder of the Brisch Center for Historical Performance at UCO.

 https://www3.uco.edu/centraldirectory/profiles/5999  

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ANITA LERCHE (Voice)

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Anita Lerche is a Danish-American, Billboard Top-2 charting, internationally acclaimed singer and songwriter, best known for her pioneering work in Punjabi music. With a career that spans continents, Anita has earned widespread recognition for using her music as a bridge between cultures, languages, and traditions—dedicated to fostering unity through the universal language of song.

 

A dynamic performer with a global presence, Anita’s artistry has been honored with numerous awards and accolades. Her latest album, “Songs from the Kingdom of Denmark,” is a deeply personal homage to her Danish roots. The album has received critical acclaim, including Best Classical Album from the World Entertainment Awards and the Gold Medal for Female Vocalist from the Global Music Awards.

 

Her powerful and versatile voice also features on the GRAMMY®-nominated album “Impossible Dream” by Aaron Lazar, further solidifying her reputation as a world-class vocalist with a unique ability to connect across genres and audiences. More info: www.AnitaLerche.com

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MAX ZT

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A Chicago native who now calls Brooklyn home, Max had his first encounter with the hammered dulcimer—a rather unusual instrument that’s played by striking tuned strings with a pair of soft mallets—at the tender age of two, when, as his parents tell the story, he became so transfixed by a performance at a museum that he planted himself at the player’s feet and refused to budge. At seven, he began taking lessons on a rented dulcimer, and by his teenage years, he’d moved up to one of master luthier David Lindsay’s grand Concert Grand models, which featured an extended range and a floating soundboard designed to increase the instrument’s warmth and resonance. (Under Lindsay’s mentorship, Max would eventually begin building his own instruments, including the one he plays on Daybreak.) Max’s interest in the dulcimer stretched beyond the traditional Western folk music associated with it, though, and after learning about West African music in college, he headed to Senegal to study the 21-stringed kora. 

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A national champion performer, Max has been praised as the Jimi Hendrix of the hammered dulcimer by NPR. MAX received a Grammy® nomination in 2023. 

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DANIELLE ERIN RHODES (voice)

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As a singer, this will be Danielle’s fourth appearance with Charu at Carnegie Hall, and winning the International Singer Songwriter Association prize for "Bluesy" by Charu as well
 

A 20-year member of The Actor's Equity association, notable professional credits include Fantine in Les Miserables and Grandma Josephine and Mrs. Teevee in the upcoming Asian International Tour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Her piano skills are frequently used onstage as well, with such roles as Vi Petty in the Buddy Holly Story and The Suspects in Murder for Two. As a painter, she has been featured at the Intertwined Artist Festival at Studio 34, and an artist’s residency at Verdi NYC. Her works are perpetually in rotation in Times Square at St. Luke's Lutheran Church and Theatre, 46th and 8th.

 

This performance is dedicated to her late Father, Dan Rhodes.

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LISA MARIE-SIMMONS  (Poetry)

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Lisa Marie Simmons is an award-winning multi-disciplinary storyteller: singer/songwriter (Ropeadope), essayist (HuffPost, Kweli Journal), and poet based in Italy. She fronts NoteSpeak, the poetic/musical ensemble whose latest album NoteSpeak 12 earned a five-star DownBeat review, won Best Spoken Word Album at the World Entertainment Awards, and will be followed by NoteSpeak (In a Word), with its first single “Solid Ground (Meet Me There)” featuring The Flamingos released today. Her work spans continents and themes of identity and belonging - from the Jaipur Music Stage in India and the Venice Biennale for Simone Leigh’s Loophole of Retreat to a U.S. tour supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a Creators of Justice shortlist, and adoption-focused pieces for DAWTA The Podcast and Harvard Law’s Bill of Health.

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CHRISTIAN FINGER (Drums)

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Christian Finger is a Germany born and New York City based drummer and composer.
He has performed and recorded with Lee Konitz, Ron Carter, Jeff Ballard, Donny McCasslin, Ralph Alessi, Ben Monder, Rich Perry, Dan Tepfer and Dave Kikoski. 

Having released five Solo Albums, Christian is a sought after sidemen and acclaimed composer and has been nominated for best composer at Cannes Documentary Film Festival.

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UPCOMING CONCERTS

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August 2-3 

Betsy Miami, Jazz Residency (Solo Piano)​

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August 9th

Pangea, New York, 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here for $25.

Incubator Festival (featuring guest artist Cassandra Kubinski)

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August 23

Byers Theater, Atlanta (ISSA Awards)

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August 29-30th

Boston Jazz Festival

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Please join us for an after-party at Tanner Smith's, a three minute walk, at 204 West 55th Street