The Modern Art Orchestra’s Fall 2026 concert series pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth. One of the most influential figures in the history of jazz, Coltrane was not only an instrumental revolutionary, but an artist who redefined the relationship between improvisation, form, and spiritual expression.

This four-concert series traces key stages of his artistic journey: from his hard bop roots through the reinterpretation of standards to his most lyrical, vocal expressions. The selected albums represent not only different periods, but distinct ways of thinking — a path that leads from tradition toward the creation of a unique and universal musical language.

The musicians of the Modern Art Orchestra recreate these iconic recordings in their original instrumental settings, preserving their spirit while bringing them to life with their own voice, from a contemporary perspective.

The opening concert of the series focuses on John Coltrane’s first album as a bandleader. While Coltrane is still rooted in the language of hard bop, it already reveals the unmistakable personal voice that would later transform jazz at its core. The distinctive horn textures and rich harmonic environment create a unique balance between traditional forms and an emerging individual vision. The soloists of the Modern Art Orchestra evoke this formative musical world, sensitively tracing the early yet remarkably intense phase of Coltrane’s artistic search.