ST. LOUIS, MO – The grand opening of the new Harold and Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz (formerly Jazz at the Bistro) Thursday night was out of this world.

St. Louis dignitaries, such as Mayor Francis Slay and County Executive Charlie Dooley, could be seen snapping along to the burnin’ tunes of Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, while philanthropist and entrepreneur David Steward beamed with what only could be described as a sense of accomplishment.

“Grand [Street] used to be the dividing tracks between black and white,” Steward said in his speech last night. “A black person, unless a maid or chauffer, did not go west of the ‘tracks.’ But now, Jazz at the Bistro, being right east of Grand, brings both black and white together.”

Steward went on to say that as a united community, St. Louis is put on the map, nationally, with the new Harold and Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz.

Finally, tonight it’s your turn to experience the new and out-of-this-world Harold and Dorothy Center for Jazz with a backstage pass from HEC-TV!

Wyton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will be performing tonight for the second night of the grand opening at the center’s 220-seat capacity Ferring Jazz Bistro, which closed this spring to undergo a $10 million renovation. The space is home to the Centene Jazz Education Center, a jazz lounge and Jazz St. Louis.

Unfortunately, no tickets remain at the newly renovated space, but there are still ways to watch:

• Join Jazz at the Bistro and HEC-TV at the Public Media Commons (between St. Louis Public Radio & the Nine Network at 3655 Olive Street, 63103) on Friday, Oct. 3 at 7:00 p.m. for a live performance by the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars, followed by a live stream by HEC-TV of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis from Jazz at the Bistro at 7:30 p.m. The Public Media Commons features two, two-story-high video screens on which the concert will be shown. Complimentary snacks and refreshments will be served and free parking is available in the lot across the street. Click here for more information and to reserve your tickets.
• Tune in online at hectv.staging.wpengine.com, Charter Channel 989 or AT&T U-verse Channel 99 in the comfort of your own home!

For more information, contact Christina Chastain at (314) 956-2703 or visit hectv.staging.wpengine.com.