Apollo Music
Apollo Music is a program initiative designed to reclaim and expand our niche in the popular music arena, promote the work of a broader mix of artists and better serve our community and diverse audience base. The Apollo’s programming will focus on a broad spectrum of popular and contemporary music globally - from the United States and diverse cultures throughout the world. Large-scale concerts by well-known or established artists will take place on our Main stage and might be complemented by performances by emerging artists in our intimate Music Café. Some presentations might be presented in partnership with organizations, such as Live Nation. Live Nation past projects include Anthony Hamilton and the Jacksons. One example of a music project we plan to present is:
Africa Now!
Presented in partnership with World Music Institute
March 15-16, 2013
The Apollo partners with World Music Institute to present, Africa Now - a weekend festival spotlighting today’s African music scene, centered around a blow out concert event on the legendary Apollo stage. Africa Now features a powerful line-up of artists who have drawn upon their roots for inspiration – and transplanted them onto the global music landscape.
Apollo’s Africa Now!
March 16, 2013, 8 pm
Apollo Main Stage Concert
Featuring: Nneka, Blitz the Ambassador, FreshlyGround, Lokua Kanza
Apollo Main Stage concert featuring: Blitz the Ambassador, a Ghanian-born rapper who, with his brass-heavy Embassy Ensemble, unites worlds of hip-hop, Afrobeat, highlife and soukous; Nneka, the Nigerian-German hip-hop/soul songstress who draws on reggae, blues, folk and rap in her anthems of protest and struggle; the Cape Town-based, multiracial pop sensation FreshlyGround; and Congolese troubadour Lokua Kanza, whose haunting voice and folk-like songs have made him out of the most beloved African stars of the last 20 years. Hear how these artists have drawn upon their roots for inspiration-and transplanted them into the global music landscape.
Africa Now! Artist Talk
March 15, 2013, 7:30-8:30 pm
Apollo Soundstage
Tickets: Free (RSVP required)
A meet-the-artist panel discussion with participating Africa Now artists focused on how their cultural identities inform their unique brand of music and how in turn that music fosters global exchange and transformation. The discussion will be moderated by WBAI’s Esther Armah. Reservations required.
Apollo Music Café: Africa Now!
March 15, 2013, 10 pm
Apollo Soundstage
The Apollo Music Café series celebrates Africa Now! with a dynamic performance by South Africa’s The Soil. Soweto trio, The Soil, dispenses melodic medication through soulful anthems, delivered with lush, three-part harmonies and percussive beat boxing.
Apollo’s Africa Now!: FreshlyGround’s Family Performance
March 16, 2013, 11 am
Apollo Soundstage
Featuring: FreshlyGround
NEXT SEASON!
Tribute to the Guarachera de Cuba: The Queen Celia Cruz
Presented in partnership with the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute and in collaboration with Omer Pardillo
March 22, 2014 – 8 p.m.
The Spirit of the Queen lives on!
The Apollo Theater, in partnership with the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, presents Tribute to the Guarachera de Cuba: The Queen Celia Cruz, a special concert to commemorate the life and legacy of Celia Cruz. This extraordinary event, produced in collaboration with Omer Pardillo marks the 50th Anniversary of Cruz’s debut performance at the Apollo Theater in May 1964. The concert, featuring signature numbers from Cruz’s songbook, will be performed by a new generation of Afro-Latina vocalists. Celia’s energetic performance style, larger than-life stage presence, and proud assertions of Afro-Latina pride resonated well with both Latino and African-American audiences, helping to transform the Apollo into a truly transcultural space, bringing Harlem’s two most prominent communities together through music.
The concert will honor the four phases of Celia’s musical career: Celia con La Sonora, Celia con Tito Puente, Celia con La Fania and Celia La Unica – La Negra Tiene Tumbao.
Tickets for Tribute to the Guarachera de Cuba: The Queen Celia Cruz go on sale on Monday, December 2, 2013.
Africa Now!
Presented in partnership with World Music Institute
April 3 – 5, 2014
This annual festival spotlighting today’s African music scene centers around one blow-out concert event on the legendary Apollo stage and will feature a powerful line-up of African artists who have drawn upon their roots for inspiration and transplanted them onto the global music landscape. Other activities include a meet-the-artist panel, a family event, a film screening, and two Music Café showcases. Past festival artists have included: Blitz the Ambassador (Ghana), Nneka (Nigeria), Lokua Kanza (The Congo), and South Africa’s The Soil and Freshlyground.
Tickets for Africa Now!go on sale on Monday, September 9, 2013.
