A Sacred Return: The Spiritual Legacy Of John Coltrane featuring the Ruth Naomi Floyd Quartet

Through jazz, we return Coltrane’s spiritual legacy to the sacred space where he performed twice. In response to his enduring influence, the Ruth Naomi Floyd Quartet and the Church of the Advocate will present an afternoon program featuring a lecture, a curated conversation, an audience Q&A, and a concert with new arrangements of John Coltrane’s compositions alongside original works. The event will affirm jazz’s power to inspire reflection, dignity, and transformation across generations. Together, the music and educational programming will explore themes of faith, spiritual searching, struggle, endurance, transcendence, and radical hope and joy.

Ruth Naomi Floyd is an internationally acclaimed vocalist, composer, educator, photographer, and justice advocate whose work explores the intersections of beauty, theology, history, culture, and justice. A pioneering artist, Ruth has created a distinctive body of vocal jazz work that unfolds through two interconnected streams: sacred jazz, reflecting themes of faith, hope, redemption, and love; and historically inspired works that illuminate African American narratives with remembrance, reverence, and contemporary relevance. A recipient of numerous fellowships, grants, residencies, and commissions, Ruth is the first African American woman to serve as the founding director of a university jazz studies program in the United States. Concordia College New York awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of her significant contributions to the arts, music education, and justice work.

Tickets $10 available at the door. 100% of the proceeds benefit Church of the Advocate.

This project is an awardee of the Coltrane 100 Philly Community Project Grant.