Just Added: Gladys Knight to Perform as Musical Guest at The Apollo Spring Benefit
Previously announced honorees include The Apollo’s President and CEO Jonelle Procope whowill end her 20 year tenure at the helm of the legendary cultural arts organization; Icon Awardrecipient Sean “Diddy” Combs, one of the most successful entrepreneurs and cultural iconsof all-time. Eyewear brand and industry leader Warby Parker will receive the CorporateAward.
Also previously confirmed, are special appearances from trailblazing rapper and formidableactress MC Lyte, three-time Grammy award winning artist, producer and writer Wyclef Jean.Award-winning artist, DJ, and photographer, D-Nice, returns to the annual celebration for amainstage set performance and to helm the DJ booth at the event's infamous after-party.Musician, composer and producer Ray Chew returns to the Apollo stage as Music Director forthe 12th year.
All proceeds will support the non-profit organization’s year-round, world-class artistic,education, and community programs, as well as its commitment to Black arts and culture, andcreating a 21st century performing arts canon.
The Apollo has been a place of dynamic energy and forward motion for more than 89 years. Thisseason’s programmatic theme is aptly themed “The Next Movement!” and has presentedsignature programs, audience favorites, and exciting new works from artists pushing theboundaries of their art forms – from music and dance to fashion and film, and beyond.
Visit www.ApolloTheater.org for more information
To purchase benefit tickets, make a donation or for more information, visitwww.apollotheater.org/event/spring-benefit-2023/ Proceeds from the Spring Benefit supportThe Apollo’s innovative performing arts, education and community initiatives, which serve200,000 people annually.
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ABOUT THE APOLLO
The legendary Apollo—the soul of American culture—plays a vital role in cultivating emerging artists and launching legends. Since its founding, The Apollo has served as a center of innovation and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world. In 2024, The Apollo opened The Apollo Stages at the Victoria Theater, marking the first ever expansion and renovation of The Apollo in its nearly 90-year history. The Apollo also has plans to renovate its Historic Theater. For more information about The Apollo, visit www.ApolloTheater.org.
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-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me and the New York premiere of the opera We Shall Not Be Moved; special programs such as the blockbuster concert Bruno Mars Live at the Apollo; 100: The Apollo Celebrates Ella; and the annual Africa Now! Festival. The non-profit Apollo is a performing arts presenter, commissioner, and collaborator that also produces festivals, large-scale dance and musical works organized around a set of core 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 multidisciplinary collaborations with partner organizations.
Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, The Apollo has served as 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 their careers 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, Jazmine Sullivan, Machine Gun Kelly, and Miri Ben Ari; and The Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy. For more information about The Apollo, visit www.ApolloTheater.org.
About The Apollo
The Apollo is an American cultural treasure. It is a vibrant non-profit organization rooted in the Harlem community that engages people from around New York, the nation, and the world. Since 1934, The Apollo has celebrated, created, and presented work that centers Black artists and voices from across the African Diaspora. It has also been a catalyst for social and civic advocacy. Today, The Apollo is the largest performing arts institution committed to Black culture and creativity.
The Apollo is a commissioner and presenter; catalyst for new artists, audiences, and creative workforce; and partner in the projection of the African American narrative and its role in the development of American and global culture.
The Apollo envisions a new American canon centered on contributions to the performing arts by artists of the African diaspora, in America and beyond.
