Kortland Whalum: “Soul of the Season”

Kortland Whalum: “Soul of the Season” The Green Room at Crosstown Arts Friday, December 4th, 2026 Doors open at 7:00 pm | Show begins at 7:30 pm $30 in advance (plus fees) | $40 at the door PURCHASE TICKETS HERE SOUL OF THE SEASON is an intimate, soulful holiday experience created and led by Memphis-born artist Kortland Whalum. Blending powerful vocals, beloved holiday favorites, soulful reinterpretations, and moving moments of storytelling, the evening celebrates the beauty, warmth, joy, and emotion of this special time of year. A graduate of Overton High School for the Performing Arts and Morehouse College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music, Whalum brings more than a decade of professional experience across music, theater, and screen to the Green Room stage. His career has taken him from New York City to touring with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and back home to Memphis, where he served as Vocal Director at the Stax Music Academy. With more than a dozen theater credits—including Carmen Jones, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Raisin, The Wiz, AIDA, Hello, Dolly!, Ain’t Misbehavin’, CATS, and Porgy & Bess—Whalum has built a career around the power of story, song, and live performance. His work also extends to film, including Freedom’s Village (2024), an official selection of the Indie Memphis Film Festival. Whalum is a distinguished performing artist whose work continues to make an impact across the cultural landscape of Memphis and beyond. He is a featured performer with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra Big Band and made history as the first artist to lead the Memphis Symphony Orchestra’s Valentine’s Day performances, establishing a new artistic chapter in the orchestra’s annual celebration of love and music. He has also performed with the Tennessee Ballet Theater, further demonstrating his versatility as a vocalist and collaborator across artistic disciplines. His contributions to the arts and the cultural vitality of his community have been recognized by the Tennessee State Senate, as well as through the “Shining Star” Award presented by Mayor Lee Harris. Most recently, Whalum took center stage as the headliner of the 44th Alcorn State University Jazz Festival, Mississippi’s longest-running jazz festival—further cementing his reputation as a dynamic vocalist and celebrated live performer. But SOUL OF THE SEASON isn’t simply a holiday concert. It’s a feeling. Set inside the intimate atmosphere of The Green Room, SOUL OF THE SEASON creates a space where performer and audience share the same room, the same stories, and the same spirit—celebrating the people, memories, traditions, and music that make the season meaningful. Come for the songs. Stay for the feeling. Leave with a little more light. Presented as part of Crosstown Concourse’s Season of Delight.