Spelman College Kenyetta Festival of Women in Jazz Remembers and Celebrates Nina Simone
The 5th Annual Jazz Festival March 26-28 Features Performances by the Geri Allen Trio and Special Guest Artist Carmen Lundy
ATLANTA (March 13, 2015) – The music and civil rights activism of legendary singer/songwriter Nina Simone will be celebrated at the 5th Kenyetta: A Festival of Women in Jazz at Spelman College, March 26-28, 2015, with a series of presentations, lectures and musical performances, including a featured concert by the Geri Allen Trio with special guest artist Carmen Lundy.
“Nina Simone represents the epitome of the complete musician/activist, from the classical-trained pianist, to a composer whose music addresses the Black woman’s experience in America,” said Joseph Jennings, Spelman College artist emeritus in music and festival organizer. “Great artists like Nina teach us the possibilities of what we can become if we work to develop our art using our cultural experience as a resource.”
A full slate of programming is scheduled during the three-day festival. Lectures by Dwight Andrews, Ph.D., Spelman Distinguished Visiting Scholar, and Salamishah Tillet, Ph.D., associate professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, will explore Simone’s music, along with her activist legacy. Members of the Jazz Coalition will discuss jazz studies programs at HBCUs. Performances by the Terrie Harper/Henry Conerway Trio featuring LaTosha Brown and the Spelman College Jazz Ensemble will find musical inspiration in Simone’s compositions.
The Kenyetta Festival is a collaborative initiative of the Spelman College Women’s Research and Resource Center, the Department of Music and the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program. It is one of the few jazz festivals in the U.S. to exclusively showcase women artists of the African Diaspora.
The festival is free and open to the public and will be held at Spelman College (GPS address: 440 Westview Drive, Atlanta 30310). For information, call 404-270-5476 or visit www.spelman.edu.
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE – “Remembering Nina Simone/Celebrating Nina Simone”
THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015
Assembly Presentation: Music & Spirituality – 11 a.m. – Sisters Chapel
Dr. Dwight Andrews, Spelman College, Distinguished Visiting Scholar
Music by Ashlei Nicks
Reserved for Spelman College students, faculty and staff only.
Pre-performance Presentation: Music of Nina Simone – 6 p.m. – Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D. Academic Center, Auditorium
Dr. Salamishah Tillet, University of Pennsylvania, Associate Professor of English
Concert Performance – 7:30 p.m. – Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D. Academic Center, Auditorium
Terrie Harper/Henry Conerway Trio featuring LaTosha Brown – The Music of Nina Simone
FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015
Festival Symposia: Women in Jazz – 1 p.m. – Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D. Academic Center, Auditorium
“My Ghost is Holding On: Nina Simone and the History of a New America”
Dr. Salamishah Tillet, University of Pennsylvania, will present on the life and contributions of Nina Simone as activist and musician.
Jazz Coalition Presentations – 3 p.m. – Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D. Academic Center, Auditorium
“The State of Jazz at HBCUs”
Festival Symposia Reception – 5 p.m. – Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D. Academic Center, Lobby
Concert Performance – 7:30 p.m. – Rockefeller Fine Arts Building, Baldwin Burroughs Theater
Spelman College Jazz Ensemble
SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2015
Featured Artist Concert Performance – 7 p.m. – Sisters Chapel
Geri Allen Trio with special guest artist Carmen Lundy
About Spelman College
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a highly selective, liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in the education of women of African descent. Located in Atlanta, Ga., the college’s picturesque campus is home to 2,100 students. Outstanding alumnae include Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman; Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer; former acting Surgeon General and Spelman’s first alumna President Audrey Forbes Manley; former Harvard College Dean Evelynn Hammonds; author Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson. For more information, visit www.spelman.edu.
Audrey Arthur
Spelman College Office of Communications
(404) 270-5892 office
aarthur3@spelman.edu
About Spelman College
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a highly selective, liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in the education of women of African descent. Located in Atlanta, Ga., the college’s picturesque campus is home to 2,100 students. Outstanding alumnae include Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman; Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer; former acting Surgeon General and Spelman’s first alumna President Audrey Forbes Manley; former Harvard College Dean Evelynn Hammonds; author Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson. For more information, visit www.spelman.edu.
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