Hunter College is celebrating its acquisition of a landmark collection of Billie Holiday’s papers with a powerful evening of music and remembrances on October 8 at the Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse.
Women in Jazz: A Celebration of Legends will spotlight Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Lena Horne, and Holiday brought to life by a dynamic, 15-piece jazz orchestra under the direction of Hunter Brass and Jazz Studies Director Ryan Kaberle with Adam Birnbaum on piano. The evening will feature four singularly talented singers — Tony Award-nominated Broadway star Lilli Cooper, stage star and recording artist Maya Days, concert artist and staple on the New York jazz scene Hilary Kole, and one of the most popular singers in jazz today, Madeleine Peyroux. The event marks the reopening of the Kaye, which has been closed for almost a year to upgrade its air-conditioning system and paint its ceiling.
The program is the latest installment of American Voices, a series launched in 2023 by Provost Scholar of the Arts and Humanities Paul Alexander to celebrate American artists, writers, and cultural icons. To date, American Voices has honored the enduring legacies of, among others, Holiday, The House on Mango Street author Sandra Cisneros, and Black Arts Movement pioneer (and Hunter alum) Sonia Sanchez ’55 — offering rich insights into the talents that define our culture. Alexander is the author of the 2024 book Bitter Crop: The Heartache and Triumph of Billie Holiday’s Last Year (Alfred A. Knopf).
“Jazz is considered the first art form that originated in America,” Alexander said. “And for many of the early decades, even as the musicians were usually men, the voice of jazz, save for Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra, was often that of a woman. Ella, Sarah, Lena, and Billie — women so famous in the jazz world you only need to say their first name — embody the very essence of jazz. We celebrate their lasting legacies in ‘Women in Jazz.’”
The Playhouse was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942 and is one of the largest performance spaces on the Upper East Side. A cornerstone of public programming and artistic life at Hunter, it hosts more than 200 performances each season, welcoming some 100,000 theatergoers annually. A community anchor, the Kaye is a treasured landmark that serves as the destination for discovery, connection, and thought leadership in the arts.
“The Kaye Playhouse long has served as a cultural cornerstone for Manhattan’s Upper East Side, providing world-class performances and fostering a shared appreciation for the arts,” Keberle said. “Through its rich history and diverse programming, it has become a gathering place for like-minded music and theater lovers, uniting audiences in a collective celebration of artistic excellence.”
The newly acquired Billie Holiday papers will be housed in Special Collections at the Leon & Toby Cooperman Library. Purchased originally from Billie Holiday’s estate by Robert Raben, a Washington-based political consultant and assistant attorney general in the Clinton Administration, the 1,500 pages of material include archival papers from the 1950s through the 1970s, one-of-a-kind material owned by the singer, and documents generated through the New York County Surrogate’s Court after her July 17, 1959, death. The collection provides unique insight into not only her artistic talent but also her assiduity as a manager of her business affairs. Raben generously gifted the papers to Hunter to help launch The Jazz Archive at Hunter College.
“Billie Holiday is recognized as one of the most influential jazz vocalists of all time. Her artistry, resilience, and social impact continue to shape American music and culture,” Alexander said. “Hunter College is a locus of expertise about this iconic American musical genius and is committed to preserving and sharing these materials and building its capacity to maintain and curate more archival holdings of this kind for the edification and enjoyment of scholars, students, and the public.”
