3rd Annual Fundraiser

“There simply is no worthier cause for Philly music lovers with a taste for the adventurous and daring.”
—The Key

The board and staff of Ars Nova Workshop invite you to our third annual fundraiser, honoring renowned Philadelphia guitarist Monnette Sudler, and a special evening of tributes, food, and spirits.

This year’s fundraiser will include performances by Philadelphia Poets Laureate Yolanda Wisher and Trapeta B. Mayson, and music from acclaimed pianist Orrin Evans and a group of musicians assembled to commemorate the occasion. Food and drinks will be provided by a fine group of Philadelphia establishments including: Fiore Fine Foods, Fountain Porter, Lo-Fi Aperitifs, MFW Wine Co., Pizzeria Beddia, South Philly Barbacoa, and Tired Hands Brewing Company.

Stay tuned for exciting details and announcements to come.

Monnette Sudler

The music of native Philadelphia jazz guitarist, vocalist, composer and educator Monnette Sudler spans a wide variety of genres, styles and approaches, from avant-garde to straight ahead jazz, R&B, funk and soul to blues and poetry. While still in her teens she helped found the jazz collective Sounds of Liberation with such legendary artists as vibraphonist Khan Jamal and saxophonist Byard Lancaster; the ensemble blended spiritual jazz, funk and socially conscious ideas aligned with the Black Arts Movement. Decades later she was instrumental in reforming the band for a series of acclaimed performances.

Sudler went on to study at Berklee School of Music and Temple University while releasing a string of straight ahead jazz recordings via the Steeplechase label during the latter half of the 1970s. Over the years she has performed with a laundry list of musical luminaries including Kenny Barron, Hamiet Bluiett, Sonny Fortune, Freddie Hubbard, Joseph Jarman, Hugh Masekela, David Murray, Trudy Pitts, Odean Pope, Sam Rivers, Shirley Scott, Archie Shepp and Grover Washington Jr., among countless others. She is the founder and artistic director of the Philadelphia Guitar Summit, which promotes cross-genre collaboration through workshops and concerts bringing together an eclectic roster of six-string innovators.