D.C.'s Duke Ellington Quarter Release Celebration: "Take The Art Train"

The U.S. Mint is unveiling the Washington, DC quarter featuring the image of the world-renowned jazz musician Duke Ellington. The Duke Ellington Quarter is the first of 2009, and the first in D.C. and the U.S. Territories Quarters Program. Rickey Payton, Jr. of Seven Yard Productions proudly announces a celebration for this unveiling with the official schedule of events which will commemorate the first annual Duke Ellington Week. Honored by endorsements from Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, The Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and the Ellington Entertainment Group, the official unveiling at the Smithsonian’s American History Museum is scheduled for Tuesday, February 24^th at 10:00am.

The Showcase of Talent, inspired by the late Duke Ellington, is the first event of Duke Ellington Week to follow the unveiling of the quarter. The Showcase of Talent, on Wednesday, February 25^th at THE ARC in Washington DC, will showcase students from The Washington Ballet and The Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Special guest appearances by brother-and-sister duo Edward Ellington and April Ellington, son and daughter of Duke Ellington, as well as other local talented artists, will be featured.