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“A musical background to her unique vocal abilities and heightened social consciousness.”
—Exclaim

“Lush production and instrumentation accompany her angelic voice.”
—AFROPUNK

Independent artist and musician Madison McFerrin has come into her own. McFerrin holds a fruitful and robust solo career with three self-produced EPs and numerous performances and curatorships across the country and internationally. McFerrin’s distinct vocal and meticulously layered stylings of a capella and self-harmonizing culminate in work that blends the genres of R&B, pop, soul and jazz, all with a sense of softness. Her genre-bending work has led to Questlove dubbing her early sound “soul-appella,” AdHoc to describe her work as “an oasis of serenity,” and The FADER noting how Madison’s “warm harmonies feel effortless.”

The throughline of McFerrin’s work is independence and she is often looking towards a kind of inner liberation. Whether she is writing about understanding one’s intuition and inner beauty or the cyclical violence of anti-Blackness and sexism, McFerrin explores how to get free and how to care for oneself along the way.

In this, McFerrin works at the intersection of artistry and community building. She often looks back and honors a Black music canon while creating her own unique style, utilizing her voice as a central instrument and drawing upon lifelong inspirations like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Erykah Badu, Pharell, Missy Elliot, and the Spice Girls. She is in community with other artists, cultural workers, and activists, and has been able to prioritize the work of women and POC in her curatorial tenures at venues like C’mon Everybody, the WNYC Greene Space, and the BRIC Jazz festival. The result of McFerrin’s work is an enduring commitment to finding ways to think better, express ourselves honestly, and nurture a sense of possibility.

Born in San Francisco as the youngest sibling and only girl of three, Madison grew up and lived across the U.S. throughout her adolescence and into early adulthood. As a young child, her earliest and fondest memories were singing and performing at impromptu home concerts and climbing trees, finding a sense of home and safety as she moved physical homes. McFerrin’s lineage is also strongly rooted in music and performance. Her earliest influence in her home was her father, Bobby McFerrin a ten-time Grammy® winning world renowned vocalist and classical conductor. Madison McFerrin’s older brother, producer, Taylor McFerrin, was also a musical influence drawing her attention to the nuances of Timbaland’s production and exposing her to a wide range of sounds from Brazil to Brooklyn. All of these influences grow from her grandparents’ rich musical legacy, which includes her grandfather’s historic contract with the Metropolitan Opera and grandmother’s sought-after guidance as an award-winning vocal coach. From this, music and performance became a home of its own for her.

Impactful Connections

This event is part of Impactful Connections, our partnership with the District of Columbia Public Libraries.

At 5 p.m. on Nov. 16, a shuttle will run from Cleveland Park Library to the Kennedy Center so that D.C. residents can attend the performance. Learn more >

For all Millennium Stage performances, a limited number of advance reservations are available on a first come, first served basis. Advance reservations do not guarantee a seat, and patrons are encouraged to arrive early.

Online advance reservations for a given performance date will open on a rolling basis, opening every Wednesday two weeks out from the date.

For live Millennium Stage performances free tickets will also be available at the Hall of States Box Office on the day of the performance, beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Seating is first come, first served. Standing room is available behind the seated area as space allows.