VersoFest 2026 Concert Event: Wyclef Jean, LIVE at The Westport Library
Event Details
Grammy Award-winning artist, producer, composer and Fugees co-founder Wyclef Jean will be this year’s headline performer for the VersoFest 2026 Friday night concert.
Wyclef will be performing with his full band. The concert will start at 8 pm in the Library’s Trefz Forum; doors open at 7 pm.
Wyclef’s performance will support Music Will, the largest nonprofit music education program for schools in the United States.
Additional programs scheduled for this year’s VersoFest include a February 27 performance by rising rockers The Thing; keynote conversations with performers, actors, and authors; plus panel discussions, an interactive art installation, and much, much more, with additional announcements coming in January.
Why You Should Come
The music that Wyclef has written, performed, and produced — both as a solo superstar and as founder and guiding member of the Fugees — has been a consistently powerful, pop cultural force for more than two decades.
Hits include the Fugees’ indelible reinvention of Roberta Flack’s 1973 ballad “Killing Me Softly”; the chart-topping “Hips Don’t Lie” with Shakira, which he co-wrote, produced, and is featured on; Wyclef’s own “Gone Till November”; “Ghetto Superstar” (Pras feat. Wyclef); Carlos Santana’s No. 1 single “Maria, Maria” (featuring Jean and Product G&B); and the late Whitney Houston’s “My Love is Your Love.”
And this is an opportunity to see him perform in an intimate venue, as one of just 700 concertgoers congregating in the Library’s unique Trefz Forum space.
Please note: This event is designated as ‘standing room only,’ however, if accessible seating is required, please contact Robin Powell ([email protected]) directly to inquire about available options in a nearby accessible location.
About Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Grammy Award-winning artist, producer, and composer with more than two decades of pioneering influence in the music industry and culture. He is a founding member of the Fugees, whose 1996 album “The Score” achieved monumental global and chart-topping success, in addition to garnering two Grammy Awards and a nomination for Album of the Year. He has released eight solo albums, including The Carnival, which sold nearly 9 million copies worldwide and was Grammy nominated. As a producer and writer, he is responsible for hits like “Hips Don’t Lie” (Shakira), “Maria Maria” (Santana), and more. In 2020, Wyclef launched the podcast RunThatBack.
As a leader in music tech, he co-founded SodoMoodLab, composing music for Showtime’s The Chi, is chief creative officer of OpenWav, and a consultant for Google DeepMind, where he focuses on AI technology. Now global culture advisor of Circle, his goal is to help bring stablecoin innovation to the world stage and promote financial literacy across communities. As a philanthropist, he is deeply committed to honoring his home country of Haiti, recently sponsoring and mentoring Haitian students in a robotics program that achieved global accolades. He is a global ambassador for Global Citizen, is on the national advisory board for Music Will and was honored with their 2025 Innovator Award. He remains a dynamic cultural force, seamlessly integrating music, education, and technology to drive meaningful social change.
About VersoFest
VersoFest is The Westport Library’s annual music and media conference and festival where knowledge is shared and inspiration is discovered — a forum for media creators, artists, and fans to converge. VersoFest includes conversations where experts share their perspective and vision. Intimate workshops provide creators the opportunity to deconstruct, improve, and hone their craft. Performances entertain and inspire.
This is the fifth year for VersoFest, which takes place at Verso Studios at The Westport Library, a media resource and production hub that serves as an empowered cultural and learning center. A library branch of the 21st century, Verso Studios provides programming and commercial services as well as educational and content creation opportunities.
Past VersoFest guests include hip hop legend Chuck D; established hit-makers the Wallflowers, Spin Doctors, and the Smithereens; up-and-coming bands Sunflower Bean and the Lemon Twigs; the Roots lead emcee Black Thought; hardcore punk pioneer Henry Rollins; rockers Lez Zeppelin; famed producers Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave Matthews Band) and Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex); Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler; the Doors drummer John Densmore; Cramps drummer Miriam Linna; Alice Cooper Group bassist Dennis Dunaway; hip-hop originators Tony Crush and Grand Wizzard Theodore; David Letterman music director Paul Shaffer; SNL Beehive Queen Christine Ohlman; and a wide array of authors, photographers, artists, and thought leaders.
Refund Policy
Programs, prices, and dates are subject to change. Tickets are transferrable. There are no refunds unless The Westport Library cancels an event. If you are unable to use your tickets, please notify us more than three hours prior to the start of the event; in that case, the cost of the tickets can be considered a tax-deductible contribution supporting the Library. In the case of a postponed or rescheduled event, the Library is not obligated to offer refunds if the event is rescheduled within 12 months of the original date. No cash refunds.