Rhyuhn Green
City Winery
990 Filbert St.
Philadelphia
July 20, 2026
As an instrument, the piano is capable of capturing the melodic, harmonic and rhythmic breadth of both jazz and classical music. Throughout the history of both traditions names like Franz Liszt, Thelonious Monk, Frédéric Chopin, and Cecil Taylor have pushed the boundaries of what can be said using just 88 keys. At 20 years old, Philly-born pianist and composer Rhyuhn Green has achieved the kind of total command of the instrument typically reserved for the greats of the past. A prodigious talent since childhood, Green’s talents have traversed genres, leading him to perform with everyone from Rob Zombie to the Philadelphia Orchestra.
On Monday, July 20, Green brought his gift back to his hometown of Philadelphia for “The Virtuoso Tour,” an evening of music at City Winery. Hosted at The Loft —City Winery’s large event space/dinning area — the show brought out a nice crowd of enthusiastic music lovers. At show time, the room darkened before Green made his way to the stage and sat at the piano lit by a cluster of red and purple lights from above. Green briefly got on the mic and explained that the evening’s program of new and older compositions was put together as a tribute to his relationship with his mother. To augment his playing, Green would occasionally recite lines of beloved poems by Langston Hughes. Early in the set, he quoted Hughes’ “Dreams.”
“Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.”
As green recited the poem, he layered the lush, emotive chords of Radiohead’s “Everything in its Right Place” beneath Hughes’ words. The effect was captivating and the bustling room seemed to stand still for a few minutes. From there, Green played a gorgeous tune while reciting lines from Hughes’ “Mother to Son.”
“Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare”
As Green played, head thrown back, aimed skyward, feet stomping to the rhythm, the emotional connection between him and his instrument felt like it had extended out to include the crowd. Straddling the lines between jazz, the blues, and classical, everything that Green played throughout the night was practically oozing with soul and feeling. Stripping the music down to its most essential elements, the night was a triumph for a young virtuoso who is just getting started.
