A4 Picnic Performances: Grace Kelly, Ashni

Bryant Park Picnic Performances presented by Bank of America is a free outdoor festival that welcomes all New Yorkers to experience the city’s vibrant arts and culture. The series provides a platform for extraordinary artists and serves as a vital outdoor venue for a wide array of New York’s cultural institutions. No tickets needed, just show up on the lawn!

Grace Kelly is a saxophonist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader who has performed over 1,500 concerts in more than 40 countries. As a bandleader, she has appeared at major venues and festivals, including the Kennedy Center, Moscow Symphony Hall, and the Montreal, Newport, and Montreux Jazz Festivals. Early in her career, she performed at Barack Obama’s 2009 Presidential Inauguration and later joined Jon Batiste’s house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She has released 15 albums and is known for a genre-crossing sound blending jazz, pop, and electronic influences.

Ashni is a New York City-based singer, songwriter, and pianist. Weaving jazz, R&B, and pop, with a thread of North Indian folk music, she evokes the incisiveness and soul of Fiona Apple and Hiatus Kaiyote with the genre-crossing, form-expansion of Arooj Aftab. Her work explores our relationship to self, each other, and the natural world, enveloping listeners in a cathartic dimension, providing “haunting relief” (Kajal Mag), and forging a new sound.