Eddie Barbash in Rochester: Gershwin and Jazz, November 15
Eddie Barbash, saxophonist and founding member of the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, performs with Chamber Music Rochester on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at Beston Hall, Nazareth University. Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue for piano and strings opens the afternoon, and jazz standards follow. Talk 2:30 p.m., music 3 p.m. Tickets $35. Students and children free.
A saxophone can carry a melody the way someone tells you a story. A little hesitation. A phrase that hangs in the air. An answer you didn’t quite expect.
Eddie Barbash makes room for that kind of listening. His return to Rochester, for Eddie Barbash from The Late Show Band, the Sequel, brings a new sound into our 50th Anniversary Season. Piano and strings begin the afternoon with Gershwin. After intermission, jazz takes the conversation somewhere new.
Come for a melody you know, an artist you love, or simple curiosity about how these musicians sound together.
Gershwin, Up Close
Some pieces feel familiar before you know their names. Rhapsody in Blue is one of them.
It premiered on February 12, 1924, at New York’s Aeolian Hall, in a concert Paul Whiteman billed as “An Experiment in Modern Music.” According to the Library of Congress, Gershwin wrote it in only a few weeks. A century later, people still recognize that opening within seconds.
Gershwin gives you plenty to follow: a melody that stretches out, a rhythmic turn that catches your ear, a pause before the next burst of motion. You don’t need to name any of it to enjoy it.
This performance brings the piece into the room through an arrangement for piano and string quintet. With a smaller ensemble you can hear each voice. Watch a phrase pass from the piano to the strings. Notice when a musician leans into an entrance or looks across the group. Those small exchanges are part of the performance, too.
Eddie Barbash and Kyle Athayde: A Musical Conversation
Barbash co-founded the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with Jon Batiste, as WABE reported. You can hear his saxophone on the Oscar- and Grammy-winning soundtrack of Pixar’s Soul. His musical life reaches across jazz, funk, bluegrass, and American traditional music, from Jon Batiste’s quintet to touring with Sierra Hull, according to his own biography.
That range makes him an inviting guest for a chamber music audience. He’s curious about what a melody can become.
Pianist and arranger Kyle Athayde shares that curiosity. He’s also the brother of our Artistic Director Juliana Athayde, who plays violin on this program, so this afternoon is a little bit of a family reunion on stage. Kyle and Eddie made Barbash’s album For Murray and Lillian together, and Athayde arranged it for four strings and a jazz quartet. The album is dedicated to Barbash’s late grandparents. He has described them as “very serious music lovers” who brought music into his life from a young age.
It’s a welcoming place to start: music chosen and shaped around people who matter to you.
In Rochester, the second half brings jazz standards and original arrangements by Athayde for jazz quartet and string quartet. Juliana and Erik Behr, our Artistic Directors, describe it as bringing “the spontaneity and energy of a late-night jazz club to the concert stage.” Listen for how the strings answer the saxophone, and how a familiar tune changes as different musicians take hold of it.
Gershwin in the first half, jazz in the second, and a room small enough to watch every glance between them.
Close Enough to Follow the Conversation
At a chamber concert you can hear people listening to one another.
A glance can cue an entrance. A small change in phrasing can draw an answer from across the group. Sometimes the most interesting person to watch is the musician who isn’t playing yet.
Beston Hall makes those details part of the afternoon. The hall at Nazareth University’s Glazer Music Performance Center seats 550, and its stage is the same size as Carnegie Hall’s, so this concert’s nine musicians have room to spread out while you stay close enough to see their faces. If you’re curious what that closeness does to the music, we wrote about why chamber music feels different up close.
Close enough to feel every note.
For longtime patrons, that closeness is part of what brings them back. For first-time listeners, it’s an immediate way into the music. Pick one musician to follow for a few moments, then let another sound catch your attention. There’s no required way to listen.
An Afternoon for Curious Listeners
You might know Eddie from television. You might already love Gershwin. Or you might be looking for live music in Rochester and want to try something different on a Sunday afternoon. Any of those is a good reason to come.
The free pre-concert talk at 2:30 is a place to begin. Artistic Directors Juliana Athayde and Erik Behr lead it, it runs about 15 minutes, and it gives you a few things to listen for before the music starts. No preparation needed, and questions are welcome.
Students and children attend free, so you can bring a young listener and let them find the sounds that catch their attention. Longtime patrons, bring someone who hasn’t joined you before. A familiar face in the next seat is often the easiest way into something new.
Plan Your Visit
Give yourself a little time to find your way around campus, settle into your seat, and catch the talk.
Where: Beston Hall, Glazer Music Performance Center, Nazareth University, 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618.
When: Sunday, November 15, 2026. Pre-concert talk at 2:30 p.m., concert from 3 to about 5 p.m.
Tickets: $35. Students and children are free. Just stop by the welcome table. Tickets bought more than seven days ahead are mailed, and later purchases are held at the door. Reserve your tickets.
There’s no dress code. Wear what you like and bring your curiosity.
Join Us November 15
Gershwin’s melodies, Barbash’s saxophone, Athayde’s arrangements, and a group of musicians who will play this program together exactly once. Be in the room.
Reserve your tickets → or see the full concert details and the rest of the season.
This concert is generously sponsored by Alison and John Currie.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is the Eddie Barbash concert in Rochester?
Eddie Barbash performs with Chamber Music Rochester on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at Beston Hall in the Glazer Music Performance Center at Nazareth University, 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618. A free pre-concert talk starts at 2:30 p.m., and the concert runs from 3 to about 5 p.m.
How much are tickets?
Single tickets are $35. Students and children attend free by stopping at the welcome table. Tickets are available at chambermusicrochester.org/tickets.
Who is Eddie Barbash?
Eddie Barbash is a saxophonist and a founding member of the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. His playing is on the Oscar-winning soundtrack of Pixar’s Soul, and his work spans jazz, funk, bluegrass, and American traditional music.
What music is on the program?
The first half is George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, arranged for piano and string quintet. After intermission, Barbash, pianist Kyle Athayde, and the ensemble play jazz standards in Athayde’s arrangements for jazz quartet and string quartet.
Do I need to know anything about chamber music or jazz to enjoy it?
No. Every Chamber Music Rochester concert starts with a free, conversational pre-concert talk led by Artistic Directors Juliana Athayde and Erik Behr, about 15 minutes long. It gives you a few things to listen for, and no background is needed.
Is there a dress code?
No. Come in what you like. Chamber Music Rochester has no dress code.
Concert Information
Concert: Eddie Barbash from The Late Show Band, the Sequel
Date: Sunday, November 15, 2026
Preconcert Talk: 2:30 p.m.
Concert: 3:00 p.m. to approximately 4:45 p.m.
Location: Beston Hall at the Glazer Music Performance Center at Nazareth University, 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, New York 14618
Single Tickets: Available Here
Students and Children: Free admission by visiting the welcome table
Sponsor: Generously sponsored by Alison and John Currie