MEDIA ADVISORY
Apollo Theater Education Presents
ARETHA!
As Part of the Live Wire Series
Tuesday, December 15 at 6:30 pm
WHAT:
On Tuesday, December 15, The Apollo Theater EducationProgram’s Live Wire series continues to honor iconic artists who haveimpacted arts and culture, paying tribute to the Queen of Soul and ApolloLegend Aretha Franklin.
Writer and cultural critic Emily Lordi will lead a discussion celebratingFranklin and the understudied subject of her musicianship, along withnationally-renowned experts on the history, development, and culturalmeaning of African American music. Panelists include Professor FredaraHadley, DJ Lynnée Denise, and Professor Portia Maultsby.
As the initiator of a cultural revolution and one of the most charted womenin music history, Aretha Franklin’s impact is truly immeasurable. From hergospel singing roots to GRAMMY Award wins, this panel explores thegenius and beloved voice that captured America.
The program is part of the Apollo’s all-digital fall season. As a non-profitorganization, the Apollo depends on the generous funding from donors,foundations, and the community at large. Please consider donating to theApollo Theater in support of these free virtual programs. To do so, please visit https://www.apollotheater.org/donate.
WHERE:
The Apollo Live Wire programs will stream live on the Apollo Digital Stage (https://www.apollotheater.org/digitalstage/) and the Apollo’s Facebookpage. Following the livestream, recordings of the events will be accessibleon the Apollo Digital Stage. To RSVP for this free program, visit https://www.apollotheater.org/event/apollo-live-wire-aretha/
WHEN:
Tuesday, December 15 at 6:30 pm ET
ABOUT THE APOLLO THEATER
The legendary Apollo Theater—the soul of American culture—plays a vital role incultivating emerging artists and launching legends. Since its founding, the Apollo hasserved as a center of innovation and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York,and the world.
With music at its core, the Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, spoken word,and more. This includes the world premiere of the theatrical adaptation of Ta-NehisiCoates’s Between the World and Me and the New York premiere of the opera We ShallNot Be Moved; special programs such as the blockbuster concert Bruno Mars Live at theApollo; 100: The Apollo Celebrates Ella; and the annual Africa Now! Festival. The nonprofit Apollo Theater is a performing arts presenter, commissioner, and collaborator thatalso produces festivals, large-scale dance and musical works organized around a set ofcore initiatives that celebrate and extend the Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens,including the Women of the World (WOW) Festival as well as other multidisciplinarycollaborations with partner organizations.
Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has servedas a testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms and has ushered in the emergence of many new musical genres—including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel,blues, soul, and hip-hop. Among the countless legendary performers who launched theircareers at the Apollo are Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown,Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, H.E.R., D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, MachineGun Kelly and Miri Ben Ari; and the Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues tobuild on this legacy. For more information about the Apollo, visit www.ApolloTheater.org.
