Lesher Center for the Arts
Home Lesher Arts MenuSFJAZZ Presents @ The Lesher Center
SFJAZZ is excited to partner with Diablo Regional Arts Association and Lesher Center Presents on another season of concert events in Contra Costa County. Curated by SFJAZZ, this thrilling series returns for a second year in residence at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts during the 2026-27 Season.
We’re going BIG for our second season with eight extraordinary concerts that feature a broad spectrum of internationally acclaimed jazz artists! Take advantage of this early offer to purchase the best seats at the best prices:
Order our complete, 8-show package and save up to $156 per person!
Order our 5-show sampler package and save up to $72 per person!
Explore the artists that make our 2026-27 SFJAZZ Presents @ The Lesher Center season and order today!*
BUY AN 8-SHOW FULL SERIES PACKAGE
BUY A 5-SHOW SAMPLER PACKAGE
* When purchasing your package, you will be prompted to select seats for both the Hofmann Theater and the Lesher Theater. Four shows in the series take place in the 785-seat Hofmann Theater (Payton, SFJAZZ Collective, Trio Da Paz, and The Hot Sardines) and four shows take place in the 297-seat Margaret Lesher Theater (Parlato, Rose, Mayo, and The Fred Hersch Trio).
Single tickets for SFJAZZ Presents @ the Lesher Center are now on sale! Visit individual event pages to book your seats.
Learn More!
Sign up for our Lesher Center eNews to receive notices on upcoming events, special offers and more!
Nicholas Payton
SFJAZZ Presents @ The Lesher Center presented by Lesher Center and Diablo Regional Arts Association
- Date: 10/08/2026 7:30 PM
- Location: Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Drive
Walnut Creek, California 94596 - Introduction: Grammy Award-winning multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, producer, arranger, essayist, and social activist
BUY AN 8-SHOW FULL SERIES PACKAGE
SFJAZZ is excited to partner with Diablo Regional Arts Association and the Lesher Center Presents Headliners series on another season of concert events in Contra Costa County. Curated by SFJAZZ, this thrilling line-up of internationally recognized jazz artists returns for a second year in residence at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts during the 2026-27 Season.
NICHOLAS PAYTON
October 8, 2026, 7:30pm
Hofmann Theater
ABOUT NICHOLAS PAYTON
As a leading voice in American popular music, the Grammy Award-winning Nicholas Payton is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, producer, arranger, essayist, and social activist who defies musical and artistic categories. All the while, he honors the tradition of what he terms “postmodern New Orleans music,” as well as the spirit of Black American Music, of which he states, “There are no fields, per se. There are lineages.”
The New Orleans-born Payton has followed his calling since growing up under the tutelage of his parents — acclaimed bassist Walter Payton and Maria Payton, a pianist and vocalist. Already a prodigy before entering the first grade, he began playing trumpet at age four and started performing professionally at age 10. Before the age of 20, he was already in demand by everyone from Danny Barker and Clark Terry to Elvin Jones and Marcus Roberts. Payton released his first album, From this Moment, in 1995 on the famed Verve label. He received his first Grammy nomination in 1997 for the album Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton, and for the category of Best Instrumental Solo, which found him winning the award that year.
Presented By