Jazz Musicians to Perform Holiday Concert in Aiken

Joye in Aiken will host its Joye to the World Holiday Concert at 3 p.m. on Dec. 7 at the USC Aiken Etherredge Center. Six New York jazz musicians directed by Riley Mulherkar will perform Christmas standards and swing classics.

Attendees are encouraged to bring toys or money to donate to Toys for Tots. A percentage of the concert's ticket sales will also be donated to charity.

Grammy-nominated trumpeter Riley Mulherkar leads the six-piece band as artistic director. Mulherkar is a founding member of The Westerlies. 

Benny Benack III joins the lineup. This Emmy-nominated trumpeter and vocalist last performed at Joye in Aiken back in March 2024. Mar Vilaseca hails from Barcelona, Spain. She sings, composes, and plays multiple instruments. Adi Meyerson, an Israeli bassist who composes and produces, has toured the world with leading bands and supported other artists.

Caili O'Doherty will play piano. This New York-based composer and arranger has earned praise for weaving language structures into her compositions and improvisation style. Cory Cox wraps up the group. The Houston drummer has performed with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Reggie Workman, the Ben Flocks Quartet, and others across the globe.

Tickets are available on the Joye in Aiken website.