The Apollo Issues Limited Edition NFT Of Its Iconic Marquee Commemorating Annual Spring Benefit

Harlem, NY – June 9, 2022 – In celebration of the Apollo’s Spring Benefit on Monday, June 13, thenon-profit announced today it will release a limited edition non-fungible token (NFT) commemoratingthe annual event. Approximately 400 NFTs will be issued through Ticketmaster. The special NFTs willbe given to each person who donated to Apollo’s Spring Benefit. The commemorative NFT will be a digitalkeepsake celebrating the world-renowned organization’s largest annual fundraising event.

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The Apollo’s commemorative NFT features a dynamic image of the iconic Apollo Marquee on 125th Streettaken by Nir Arieli/Shahar Azran Photography. The Apollo’s special edition NFT marks Ticketmaster’sfirst NFT with a theater. For more information about the Apollo’s commemorative NFT, visitwww.ApolloTheater.org/NFT

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“Each year, the Apollo’s benefit brings together leaders across the creative, business, and philanthropiccommunities to advance the non-profit’s commitment to supporting Black excellence and artisticinnovation,” said Apollo Board Chair, Charles Phillips. “As the Apollo continues to lead in creating a21st century performing arts canon, it is also using new and existing platforms to further innovate, advanceits mission, and expand its reach to audiences around the globe. We look forward to continuing to expandthe ways the Apollo engages audiences and artists in person and digitally.”

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“Throughout its nearly nine-decade history. the Apollo has been heralded for its convening power inHarlem, New York City, and around the globe,” said Apollo President and CEO Jonelle Procope. “Aswe saw with the launch of the Apollo Digital Stage in 2020, it was equally important to create space for ourcommunity and artists to come together virtually, providing access to diverse voices. With the release ofthe Apollo’s limited edition NFT, we are reaffirming our commitment to providing a platform for artists tocreate and innovate for future generations.”

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Hosted by Emmy winner and “Saturday Night Live” cast member Kenan Thompson, the Apollo SpringBenefit will honor filmmaker, actor, and philanthropist Tyler Perry with the Impact Award, presented byAcademy Award winner and “The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg. The event will feature musicalperformances by The Roots with special appearances by Stephanie Mills, Anthony Hamilton, emergingsoul artist Ogi, and more. International celebrity DJ, Derrick “D-Nice” Jones will return with his signaturesounds for a lively benefit afterparty. Global investment and merchant banking firm LionTree will receivethe Corporate Award.

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The Apollo season’s theme, “The Renaissance is Now!,” and its presentations expand the non-profittheater’s role as a partner, commissioner, and co-producer of programming that centers Black artists andvoices from the African Diaspora, while tackling social issues that are important to Harlem, New York, andthe nation. Proceeds from the Spring Benefit support the non-profit organization’s year-round, world-classartistic, education, and community programs and collaborations, as well as its commitment to using artsand culture to articulate and project the African American narrative. For more information visitwww.ApolloTheater.org.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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