Dr. John Edward Hasse

Museum Curator, Author

One of America’s foremost music historian-educators, Dr. John Edward Hasse helps audiences understand the power of music to move and inspire us to greater heights.

Hasse is a museum curator, author, speaker, and leader in his field. During his 33-year tenure at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, Hasse developed exhibitions on Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Ray Charles. He founded the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, now celebrating its 31^st anniversary, and international Jazz Appreciation Month, which is celebrated in all 50 states and 40 other countries.

His books include an acclaimed biography, Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington, with a foreword by Wynton Marsalis, and Jazz: The First Century, with forewords by Quincy Jones and Tony Bennett. As an expert on 20^th century music, he is a contributor to The Washington Post and eight encyclopedias and has written 50 articles on music for The Wall Street Journal.

For more biographical information, please visit his website.