Celebrate the 4th of July weekend with Jazz at the Bechtler. The museum presents a special two-night engagement with vocalist Maria Howell on July 1 and 2. Howell will perform with the Ziad Jazz Quartet. Best known for her role as the choir soloist in the 1985 Oscar-nominated film The Color Purple, Howell has shared the stage with Ray Charles, Najee, George Howard, Ramsey Lewis, and George Benson among others. Howell, a Gastonia native, has been known to leave audiences mesmerized with her powerful, sultry, smooth voice, mixing R&B, gospel and soul into her renditions of jazz classics.

Price: Tickets are $14 for the public and $8 for museum members.