Lift Every Voice Series
Objective: To produce a multi-year initiative celebrating black voices throughout the history of American popular music
Venue: Carnegie Hall
Total Number of Concerts: 3
Total Complimentary Student Tickets Distributed: 300
Total Audience Members Reached: 8,412
Notable Achievements: Staged a dance tribute to James Brown, Godfather of Soul
African American history is American history. And that holds especially true when considering the nation’s legacy of entertainment. In turn, I developed the “Lift Every Voice Series”, a multi-year initiative honoring black artists who transformed both the concert stage and the country.
The first installment, titled “Sophisticated Ladies”, took place in November 2015. The concert saluted the female jazz vocalists of the Harlem Renaissance, as well as the women who followed in their footsteps. The cast featured Tony Award nominee Montego Glover, Capathia Jenkins, and Sy Smith paying tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Adelaide Hall, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and Ethel Waters. The program culminated in a segment celebrating Billie Holiday’s centennial.
Sy Smith in “Sophisticated Ladies”
The second installment, titled “Heart and Soul”, took place in February 2017. This program traced the dual ascent of R&B and the civil rights movement, starting in the mid-20th century and leading through the present day. The concert was anchored by Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart and Capathia Jenkins, with additional vocal performances by Crystal Monee Hall, Michael McElroy, and Anastasia Talley. The set list included songs originally recorded by James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Donny Hathaway, Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight, John Legend, Diana Ross, and Stevie Wonder.
James Monroe Iglehart, Capathia Jenkins, Michael McElroy, Anastasia Talley, and Crystal Monee Hall in “Heart and Soul”
The most recent installment, titled “Unforgettable”, took place in February 2019. In tribute to the centennial of Nat “King” Cole, performers Ryan Shaw and Nikki Renée Daniels presented a hit parade of the musical monarch’s greatest hits. Several of these songs were featured on Cole’s television variety show, the first ever hosted by an African American.
For each performance in this series, 100 complimentary tickets were distributed to students across all five boroughs, allowing the next generation of New Yorkers to learn about these iconic figures.
Photo Credit for all images: Richard Termine
Nikki Renée Daniels in “Unforgettable”