Musical Storytelling with the Kendrah Butler-Waters Quintet in Germantown

Join us for an afternoon of musical storytelling with the Kendrah Butler-Waters Quintet, featuring original compositions and arrangements that blend jazz, classical, and gospel influences to tell powerful, personal narratives.

Known for weaving together music and message, Butler-Waters brings her background in sociology, education, and Black feminist thought into every note, crafting a sound that speaks to both the heart and the mind. This performance promises both technical brilliance and emotional depth.

Personnel:

Kendrah Butler-Water, piano

Paul Geiss, trumpet

Morgan Walbridge, vibes

Dan McCain, bass

Sadayah Roberts, drums

About Kendrah Butler-Waters:

Dr. Kendrah Butler-Waters is a Philadelphia-based pianist, violinist, vocalist, composer, and educator whose work transcends genre and expectation. Blending jazz, classical, and gospel influences, she crafts a sound uniquely her own—one rooted in both technical mastery and emotional depth. A multi-instrumentalist with an academic foundation in political science and sociology from Temple University, a master’s degree in elementary education from Drexel University, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration from Immaculata University, Butler-Waters brings a rare combination of intellectual rigor and artistic brilliance to every performance. As a 2015–2016 Jazz Resident at the Kimmel Center, she captivated audiences and has since performed at Cape May and Lancaster Avenue Jazz festivals and collaborated with poet laureates Yolanda Wisher and Trapeta Mayson for ConsenSIS focused on Black female and femme poets and notable Philadelphia based artists. Her compositions have been featured across NPR, PBS, WHYY, WRTI and other platforms, as well as with Levar Burton Read’s Tour, further amplifying her voice in the jazz and arts landscape. Learn More.