Airport Experience® News - Leadership Issue 2025

BEFORE YOU TAKE OFF SMOOTH JAZZ MOVES MSY’s Music Program Supports Musicians, Pleases Passengers

BY SARAH BELING

To select its resident musicians, the team at MSY holds an annual call for artists, sharing the notices on their social media channels and newsletter as well as reaching out to local music organizations. Then, an evaluation committee made up of representatives from the New Orleans Aviation Board, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy, and the local music community score applicants on their appearance, stage presence, sound quality, content quality, and representation of New Orleans culture, says Burns, before sending finalists to the airport’s board for approval. The committee looks primarily for artists who carry on the city’s reputation as a jazz incubator. “Louis Armstrong is this airport’s namesake, and we want our guests to feel his legacy through the sounds and culture that he influenced,” says Burns. However, “given the wide range of talent in Greater New Orleans,” blues, zydeco, funk, R&B/soul, and classical music artists also make their way into the mix. And just like the music scene at large, the competition is stiff, adds Burns, noting that in a recent call for artists, MSY received 230 applications and selected approximately 25 acts for residency. Though the Music @ MSY program may have a captive audience, “passenger feedback has been extremely positive,” says Burns, adding that travelers “are pleasantly surprised to be welcomed with music in the baggage claim area or as they walk to their gate through the concourse.” Artists have found the steady gig worthwhile, too, she adds. “Residents have commented that a steady income is life-changing, even if only for three months,” says Burns, noting that MSY’s resident musicians enjoy being able to engage with travelers as well as sell their albums and merchandise. In addition, “they gain incredible exposure for potential performance opportunities here in New Orleans, and outside the city.” Being able to walk through MSY and hear the sounds of the city enhances both the employee and passenger experience, says Burns: “Our guests get to feel the unique spirit of New Orleans as soon as they arrive in the airport.”

t’s no secret that New Orleans is known for its rich musical history — and if you’re hoping to take in

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as many tunes as possible during your trip, the team at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) can help, thanks to live, in-airport concerts in their Music @ MSY residency program. Many airports have music program but few extend it to musician-in-residence levels. The MSY initiative, which supports local artists with a three-month period of regular performing opportunities at the airport’s Jazz Garden Stage, Heritage School of Music and Where Traveler boutique while providing passengers with a taste of the regional music scene, was the result of the airport’s move into its new, $1 billion facility in 2019, says Erin Burns, MSY’s deputy director of aviation for customer experience, marketing and communications. Outfitted with new performing spaces, MSY “desired to develop a more robust music program that would allow us to support musicians in the Greater New Orleans region while providing entertainment to the millions of passengers traveling through MSY each year,” says Burns, adding that “music performances occurred fairly regularly at the former terminal, however, building out a residency program allowed us to give more opportunities to even more artists.”

Top: Musicians entertain travelers on the Heritage Stage at MSY. Above: With its musician-in residence program, MSY supports musicians over a three month period and allows them to sell albums and merchandise.

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AX NEWS DECEMBER 2025 / JANUARY 2026