[intense_highlight color=”#767676″ font_color=”#ffffff”]Event Information[/intense_highlight]
Unity Performing Arts Foundation and Parkview Health present: “Let the Good Times Roll: A Tribute to the Legends of Blues and Jazz.” The Voices of Unity Youth Choir will pay tribute to the amazing legends of blues and jazz. This will be a magical experience you do not want to miss. Learn more below!
- The Voices of Unity Youth Choir
- Director: Marshall White
- Saturday, June 27th
- Two Big Shows: 2PM and 8PM
- At the Arts United Center (303 E Main St Fort Wayne, IN 46802)
- Do you have questions or comments regarding this concert? Feel free to contact us!
Countdown to the Concert
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[intense_highlight color=”#767676″ font_color=”#ffffff”]Purchase Tickets[/intense_highlight]
Click on the button below or Click Here to purchase tickets for this event. Tickets are processed through Arts United – please see pricing in the price to the right.
The World Champion Voices of Unity Youth Choir (VOUYC) is Unity Performing Arts Foundation’s acclaimed Youth Choral Program. It is our premier soulful choral group comprised of youth ages 7 to 20 from various backgrounds in the Fort Wayne community and beyond. The program’s goal is to equip, educate, and empower youth to excel in the world before them. It prepares them to be successful leaders who will give back to their society and make a difference in their college life, adult life, and in their professional careers.
Click Here to learn more about the choir.
[intense_highlight color=”#767676″ font_color=”#ffffff”]Legends of Blues and Jazz[/intense_highlight]
“Let the Good Times Roll” is a tribute the kings and queens of jazz and blues from B.B King to Louis Armstrong to Bessie Smith! See their biographies and videos below.
Click on the names and tabs below to learn more about each legend!
In their archive of biographies, PBS described Bessie Smith’s “broad phrasing, fine intonation, blue-note inflections, and wide, expressive range” as solidifying reasons for her being the “greatest of the vaudeville blues singers.”
The 50s and 60s saw Armstrong tour all over the world, but when he came home he encountered pressure as the civil rights movement faced setback after setback. For most of his years he remained silent on the issue, but in 1957 he spoke out against President Eisenhower, boldly proclaiming, “The way they are treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell.” A decade later he produced a different sort of song and what would be his most famous recording, “What a Wonderful World.” Even after his death in 1971, Armstrong is no doubt one the most influential artists in all of music.
In 1994, Cab Calloway passed away, but his performances continued throughout his life all the way up until his death. He is still remembered as one of the greatest showmen of all time.[/intense_tab][intense_tab title=”Billie Holiday” active=”” border=”3px solid #e8e8e8″ link_target=”_self” icon_source=”batch” icon_stack_source=”batch” icon_size=”1″ icon_position=”left” icon_spin=””]Born Elinore Harris and later nicknamed “Lady Day,” Billie Holiday lived a hard and difficult life, cut short from a lost battle against drug abuse. Her plights began from childhood, growing up with a non-present father (the jazz musician Clarence Holiday), suffering sexual abuse, becoming involved in prostitution at a young age and eventually spending time in jail. Holiday often turned to music for escape, finding herself in the painful blues of Bessie Smith and smooth romance of Louis Armstrong’s sound. By age 18, she was performing in Harlem night clubs when she was discovered by a local producer. As her career exploded, she changed her name to Billie Holiday after movie star Billie Dove and her father’s last name. From large band and orchestra gigs to solo productions, Holiday produced such incredible hits such as “Riffin’ the Scotch,” “God Bless the Child,” and “Strange Fruit,” a deeply emotional song about the lynching of African Americans in the South.
The end of Holiday’s life continued to suffer from destructive relationships and abuse of alcohol and increasingly hard drugs. Despite her difficulties, however, Lady Day is still considered one of the most influential and most talented jazz and blues artists ever.
The King of the Blues has continued his artistry for decades, receiving Grammy Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and an induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Today, his gigs are few, but his music is commemorated by the curators of The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Mississippi.
Videos of Blue and Jazz Performances by the Legends
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[intense_highlight color=”#767676″ font_color=”#ffffff”]Help Promote the Concert[/intense_highlight]
You can help promote this amazing concert by hanging posters and flyers at your workplace or business, promoting it on social media, and inviting your friends and family!
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[intense_highlight color=”#767676″ font_color=”#ffffff”]Support the Concert[/intense_highlight]
This concert is made possibly by our generous sponsor, Parkview Health. We would also like to thank Sweetwater Sound and Lincoln Financial!
Underwrite this Concert
Are you a business, corporation, or individual who would like to underwrite and support this concert (and futures ones)? Click on the button below or contact us.
Donate to UPAF
Your donations (no matter how small) make these concerts possible. Not only that, you are supporting an organization that’s raising up our leaders!
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[intense_highlight color=”#767676″ font_color=”#ffffff”]Venue Information[/intense_highlight]
This concert is taking place in beautiful Downtown Fort Wayne at the Arts United Center located next door to the Fort Wayne Museum of Art on Main Street.
“Its acoustics are top-notch, lighting and sound system are state-of-the-art, and there’s not a bad seat in the house. Arts United Center also contains spacious studios for rehearsals and meetings, a complete workshop backstage for set construction, and office space for the Civic Theatre and Youtheatre.
The Arts Plaza resides in front of the striking façade of the Arts United Center, opening up to Main Street. An entryway and grand promenade for public gatherings, festivals and community events, the Arts Plaza is an open door to arts and culture for Northeast Indiana residents and visitors.” –Arts United Website
Arts United Center
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- Local Dining Information: CLICK HERE
- Parking Information: CLICK HERE