Dante' Pope

The Strathmore Jazz Orchestra brings Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker to the Music Center stage, along with classic Christmas songs from the golden era featuring Strathmore Artists in Residence alumni Christie Dashiell, Taisha Estrada, Gerson Lanza, and Dante’ Pope, with arrangements by Daniel Jamieson, Ben Patterson, Paul White, Richard DeRosa, and Victor Goines. The evening will be hosted by Ed Smith, executive producer and host of Jazz Now on Takoma Radio/WOWD 94.3 and co-host of The Future of Jazz Podcast. From swinging renditions of classic carols to upbeat takes on seasonal standards, this festive concert is packed with toe-tapping rhythms, lush harmonies, and electrifying solos. This performance is part of our Meet Me at Strathmore event series. Check back soon or email us for more information on how to participate. As an instrumentalist, he has supported some of America’s most respected artists across genres. Most recently, he was a featured lead vocalist and drummer for 2x Grammy award-winning country powerhouse, Old Crow Medicine Show, most recently featured on NPR Tiny Desk in 2024. Widely known for their Grammy award winning song, “Wagon Wheel,” made more recently popular by Darius Rucker. He contributed to the Grammy nominated album, ‘Black Cowboys,’ as a featured vocalist and percussionist with Smithsonian Folkways and Grammy award-winning winning folk artist, Dom Flemons, formerly of The Carolina Chocolate Drops. Prior jumping into country and americana, he served as Music Director for The Crossrhodes, featured on NPR Tiny Desk in 2017 complimented by Dante’s colorful arranging style Soulful vocalist who blends his gospel roots and multi-genre experience into a warm sound with a message of love and vulnerability. The new single, “Proof,” comes after a slight hiatus from his solo career given his love for collaboration. “Proof,” was birthed out of a longing to put all his influences in a bottle; gospel, spirituals, blues, soul and jazz. The song is akin…