Release Date: February 19,2026
The History of Jazz in Akron – Celebrating America 250, March 3
February 19, 2026, Akron, Ohio — The Akron History Center, downtown Akron’s tribute to the city’s 200- year history will collaborate with “America 250-Ohio,” the Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial, to sponsor "The History of Jazz in Akron, 1920-present" on Tuesday, March 3, in the Grand Lobby of The Akron Civic Theatre, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm.
The program features prominent Akron jazz artists Theron Brown and Chris Coles with Akron Symphony Artistic Director Christopher Wilkins and local historian Rose Vance Grom.
The Akron History Center—adjacent to the Civic—which has a significant display on Akron’s music history, “Rhythms of the Rubber City”, will be open for visitors, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm with free admission.
Brown and Coles, co-directors of the University of Akron Jazz Studies program, will perform styles of jazz showing its contemporary evolution.
Christopher Wilikins, maestro of the Akron Symphony Orchestra since 2006, did groundbreaking work on the history of African American composer Julia Perry, who died in Akron in 1979. Wilkins and Brown also share an additional interest—the music of the legendary Pat Pace, who rose to national fame in the 1970's making multiple well-reviewed jazz albums. Pace battled heroin his whole life and died in 2006 in Akron.
At the root of Akron’s jazz history is Howard Street in the 1930's, home to the greatest jazz artists of the day. Rose Vance-Grom, a historian and an associate at the Summit County Historical Society, will provide an illustrated presentation on Akron's "Little Harlem,” utilizing recently acquired archival photographs of the era.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Mark Greer, who served as Executive Director of Akron 200, the city’s Bicentennial celebration. He is also an accomplished musician and is a performing artist.
Participants
Theron Brown is a prominent jazz pianist, educator, and arts advocate recognized as an "Ambassador of Akron Jazz". He is a professor at The University of Akron and founded the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival. Known for his versatile style spanning jazz, soul, and gospel, Brown plays nationally and leads the Theron Brown Trio. He is an artist coordinator for LeBron James' I Promise School.
Christopher J. Coles holds a bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State University and a master’s degree in performance from the University of Akron. He is a Visiting Professor of Jazz Studies at Oberlin Conservatory and Professor of Jazz Saxophone, the University of Akron Brown and Coles jointly manage the University of Akron’s Jazz Studies program, which has been recognized as one of the best academic programs for the study of jazz since its founding in 1978.
Christopher Wilkins has served as Music Director of the Akron Symphony since 2006. Collaborative projects have included fully staged performances of Porgy and Bess, The Rite of Spring, Titanic, South Pacific, A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream and Carmina Burana. Wilkins also serves as Music Director of the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, a summer orchestra performing weekly on Boston’s Esplanade. Wilkins earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and Master of Music degree from Yale University.
Rose Vance-Grom became inspired during her masters studies while working on the "Green Book" guides published from the 1930s-1960s. She invested hours in reviewing newspaper ads to track down venues on Howard Street, and entertainers including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, and Count Basie. Vance-Grom was commissioned by the Cuyahoga Valley Conservancy to curate a display, "Complex Chords: A History of Jazz in Northeast Ohio," part of the Howe Meadow summer concert series.
America 250 – Ohio, the Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial, was announced in 2022, by Governor Mike DeWine. The commission oversees celebratory events for America's 250th anniversary which culminates on July 4, 2026.
The Akron History Center is the city’s first comprehensive museum showing 200 years of the city’s history and was the leading edge of Akron’s Bicentennial celebration. It is operated by the Akron-Summit County Public Library is partnership with the Summit County Historical Society.
For more information about The Akron History Center, visit: www.akronhistorycenter.org