The performance will run approximately 60 minutes, with no intermission.

Media Partner: WKAR

Celebrating 25 years of sharing Zydeco and Creole history.

When it comes to Creole culture and Zydeco music, two-time Grammy Award winning Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience represent hard. They also represent the past, the present, and future of American roots music. This six-piece intergenerational and multicultural group is highly skilled, formally trained, and are very experienced performers. In all things, experience still matters—a lot. Their performance and hypnotic brew of Zydeco roots, reggae, gospel funk, and New Orleans jazz is expertly curated to create an unforgettable and joyful experience.

True to himself and his deep Creole roots, Terrance Simien personifies authenticity as he continues to redefine his genre and elevate its visibility. Now enjoying legendary status of an accomplished 40+ year career, Simien, his bandmates, and creative collaborators have toured to more than 40 countries and performed over 9000 concerts.

Their music has been featured in multiple theatre released films, and the band has made multiple on-screen appearances as well. Terrance collaborated with the legendary Randy Newman on Disney’s The Princess and The Frog, the first animated blockbuster hit film featuring Black princess, Tiana, and the music of New Orleans and Zydeco. In 2024, Disney added the “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure” ride to their U.S. theme parks featuring “Gonna Take You There” by Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience with Marcella Simien.

In 2000, Simien developed the only program of its kind, Creole for Kidz and the History of Zydeco youth, family, and student educational program for K-12 and college audiences. This dynamic live performance paired with an in-depth study guide celebrates 25 years of raising the cultural IQ of 250,000 students, parents, teachers, and administrators around the globe.

The Creole 4 Kidz! program, is an innovative, high quality, multicultural music performance led by Simien, whose family is documented in history books as one of the first families of Louisiana. With expert knowledge of his music and Creole history, Simien gently guides youth, student, and family audiences on a journey to explore one of the most unique subcultures in North America. Many teachers have called the program “stealth education” which is a teaching method that integrates learning objectives into enjoyable activities, as research has long shown that children learn best when they’re having fun.