New York, NY (Top40 Charts) A special weekend celebrating the talent, legacy, and spirit of legendary North Carolina musician
Nina Simone is scheduled Aug. 16-18 in collaboration with the North Carolina Museum of Art, Come Hear NC, the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, the North Carolina Arts Council and the
National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The singer and civil rights activist was born in 1933 in Tryon, N.C., a small community east of Asheville. Last year, the
National Trust designated her birthplace and childhood home a
National Treasure and announced a campaign to rehabilitate, preserve, and identify a new use for it in collaboration with the home's owners.
To raise awareness of these efforts, a concert featuring Nina Simone's signature songs will be performed by her daughter Lisa Simone, an award-winning actress and Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist on August 17. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the rehabilitation and preservation of the
Nina Simone Childhood Home which has been vacant for several years and is in disrepair.
Lisa
Simone will be accompanied by the locally based big-band ensemble The Tribe Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Lenora Helm Hammonds. Featuring top jazz musicians with international followings, The Tribe Jazz Orchestra blends the traditional jazz orchestra with the modern chamber ensemble to create a swinging, soulful sound to complement the classic repertoire of Nina Simone.
Lisa Simone, a veteran of the United States Air Force, originated the Disney roles of Aida ("Aida") and Nala ("The Lion King") on Broadway. She won the
National Broadway Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her turn in the leading role in the First
National Tour of "Aida" before taking over the role at the Palace Theatre on Broadway, to critical acclaim. A member of the original Broadway cast of "Rent," she was nominated for the Helen Hayes Award and Jefferson Award for her work in the touring production of the musical in the role of Mimi Marquez.
Lisa
Simone has performed alongside Dianne Reeves, Angelique Kidjo, Odetta,
Tracy Chapman and
Patti Austin in the 2009 international tribute tour to Dr. Nina Simone, entitled "Sing the Truth." Lisa has headlined many world stages, from Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House, to New York's Lincoln Center and Town Hall, Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl, London's Royal Albert Hall and Paris' Olympia. She has also performed at international jazz festivals including Telluride, Montreaux, North Sea, Marciac, and Vienne. In 2008 she topped the jazz charts with "Simone on Simone," her big-band tribute album to her mother. She was nominated for a Grammy Award as a member of Liquid Soul.
Lisa is the founder and executive producer of the Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning Netflix documentary, "What Happened, Miss Simone?" - a project she calls "a daughter's promise, fulfilled."
Lisa is signed as a World
Music Artist to Warner
Music Elektra France. Her latest album, "In Need of Love," is due for worldwide release in September.
In addition to the concert, the museum will host workshops, a screening of the documentary, "What Happened, Miss Simone?" and other events to celebrate Nina Simone's legacy. Details for each event follow. Purchase tickets online at www.ncartmuseum.org/nina. Tickets for all events except the Aug. 17 concert are on sale now. Tickets for the Aug. 17 Lisa
Simone concert go on sale June 4 for NCMA members and June 5 for non-members. The weekend is also part of the North Carolina Year of Music, Come Hear NC, which seeks to celebrate and amplify North Carolina's musical heritage. Learn more at comehearnc.com.
