Updated November 25, 2020
Saint Paul, Minnesota (November 12, 2020) — The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts today announced a virtual holiday presentation of music from The Night Before Christmas: In Concert by Minnesota’s three-time Grammy Award-winning, international music sensation Sounds of Blackness.
Songs from this family-friendly, holiday favorite will be performed in a concert-style format and broadcast virtually for the first time, available via on-demand streaming December 19–31, 2020. Tickets are $15 per household device and go on sale November 12 at 10:00am on Ordway.org.
The Night Before Christmas brings Soulful Santa, Mrs. Claus, Santa’s Fine Reindeer, and the famous Dancing Chitlins to life with show-stopping, roof-raising music, in styles ranging from R&B and hip hop, to jazz, blues, and gospel, in a contemporary adaptation of the beloved holiday classic poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Sounds of Blackness holiday favorite hits “Joy of Christmas,” and “Soul Holidays,” are featured, along with arrangements of classic carols like “Silent Night” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”
Featuring 17 vocalists, including Ordway Resident Artist Jamecia Bennett, and the Sounds of Blackness 10-piece band, The Night Before Christmas: In Concert will deliver a concertized version of the program’s music, giving viewers a “front row” feel through close-ups of the performers.
“This year, everyone gets a front row seat to enjoy a rich, uplifting cultural experience in their homes with the people they love,” shared Gary Hines, Sounds of Blackness Music Director and Producer. “This first-ever virtual presentation will allow the audience to experience the musical focus on songs from The Night Before Christmas: In Concert in a new, intimate way,” he continued.
Special thanks to Bremer Bank and SPIRE Credit Union for their major support of holiday programming at the Ordway.
Sounds of Blackness Vocalists
Jamecia Bennett, Nneka Costantino, Layce Dreamz, Kadejsha Kibble, Lorrie Lean, Ayenna Davis, Bridget Dawkins, Carrie Harrington, Micah Cherina Eubanks, Artisha Knight-Milon, Quintin Brown, Steve Dinkins, Len Jones, Ronnie Allen, Rodney Fair, Graydon Francis, David Hurst
Sounds of Blackness Musicians
Daryl Boudreaux, Gary Hines, Yohannes Tona, Darold McCray, Juan Navarro, Solomon Parham, Larry Robinson, Larry Sims, Billy Steele, David Wright III
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