John Edward Hasse, Ph.D.

Dr. John Edward Hasse is a distinguished music historian and Curator Emeritus at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. During his 33-year tenure, he developed notable exhibitions on influential musicians such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Ray Charles. He is renowned for founding the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and initiating Jazz Appreciation Month, which is now observed across all 50 states and in 40 other countries.

Hasse is an accomplished author and editor with seminal works including "Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington" and "Jazz: The First Century." His expertise and contributions to music history have been recognized with two Grammy Award nominations and two ASCAP Deems Taylor Awards for excellence in writing about music. He has also been named the Herb Alpert Scholar-in-Residence at Berklee College for 2017 and 2018, and the Jazz Educators Network honored him as a “Legend of Jazz Education.”

In his dynamic presentations, Hasse often incorporates multimedia elements, drawing on a vast array of sources from Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" to pivotal music pieces like Bizet's "Carmen." Notably, he also performs piano solos, enhancing the auditory experience for his audience. His speaking engagements are marked by an engaging style that has resonated at prestigious venues and institutions including Harvard University, the Kennedy Center, and the Chicago Humanities Festival. Through his talks, Hasse vividly demonstrates the profound impact of the arts on human development and societal well-being.