As one of the first African American operatic performers, renowned tenor and trailblazer George Shirley’s contributions to the world of opera and music education have left an indelible mark on the industry. Shirley sat down for an exclusive one-on-one conversation with 90.9 WRCJ’s Cecelia Sharpe about his remarkable entry into the opera scene and his history as a music educator.
Read MoreFar Therapeutic Arts & Recreation’s signature annual event, FAR Friends, makes its return for the 22nd year to showcase the organization’s clients’ arts, music and dance skills. With the guidance of FAR’s therapists, clients came together for the FAR Friends 2023 performances. One Detroit contributor Daijah Moss has the story.
Read MoreThree of the four operas premiering during the Detroit Opera’s 2023-24 season are making their debut in Detroit for the first time. Detroit Opera Music Director Roberto Kalb talks about the four upcoming operas slated for the 2023-24 season and the Opera’s efforts to champion diversity through its contemporary approaches.
Read MoreMasterpiece Sound Studios recently showcased the power of Sylvia Moy’s songwriting legacy with its cover song contest, crowning Drey Skonie and The Klouds as the first-place winners for their captivating rendition of a classic Motown hit penned by Moy, the late Masterpiece Sound Studios founder.
Read MoreAs the nation reflects on the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the Detroit Walk to Freedom, an intriguing connection exists between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches and the iconic Motown Records. In an exclusive interview, contributor Cecelia Sharpe of 90.9 WRCJ, delves into this significant link with Robin Terry, Chairwoman and CEO of the Motown Museum.
Read MoreDetroit Jazz Festival Foundation President Chris Collins and artist Brittini Ward preview this year’s festival and unveil this year’s official festival poster. Plus, Collins gives an update on the huge renovation of the jazz center named for the late Gretchen Valade on Wayne State University’s campus.
Read MoreTwo local musicians are using their personal journey with cancer to give back to others affected by the life-threatening disease. The Almost Famous band puts on their second annual CURE Childhood Cancer benefit concert after the drummer’s own tongue cancer battle.
Read MoreArmenians and Armenian Americans have long been a part of Detroit’s rich cultural tapestry, and with them these immigrants brought their unique musical sounds. Now there’s a documentary, “We Thrive,” that celebrates and chronicles the history of Armenian music in Detroit.
Read MoreIn advance of her visit to Detroit for the 2023 Concert of COlors, National Endowment for the Arts Chair Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson sits down with Stephen Henderson to talk about the importance of the arts in building healthy communities and her historic appointment as the first Black Mexican American woman to lead the NEA.
Read MoreThe world-renowned National Arab Orchestra returns to Concert of Colors for its second year. Orchestra Founder and Music Director Michael Ibrahim joins One Detroit to talk about their second Concert of Colors performance and the importance of uniting communities through global music.
Read MoreThe Detroit Public Theatre closes out its eighth season with “Passing Strange,” the award-winning rock musical with a powerful message. The musical follows a young Black musician from LA to Amsterdam to Berlin, as he explores different styles of music and schools of philosophy and spirituality, trying to find what he calls “The Real.”
Read MoreAhead of her performance at Movement music festival, Detroit DJ Whodat hares her love for house music and talks about being an African American woman in the music industry, and what motivates her to create her unique sound.
Read MoreOpera meets flamenco in the Detroit Opera’s high-energy performance of Osvaldo Golijov’s “Fountain of Tears.” Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack, who plays the lead role, talks about the production and its relevance today.
Read MoreThe Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation has announced its lineup for the annual Labor Day weekend festival, including this year’s artist-in-residence, Detroit jazz drummer and hip-hop producer Karriem Riggins.
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Whether you’re a fan of rock, pop, hip-hop, jazz, country, or classical music, you’ll find inspiring stories, fascinating facts, and amazing performances that showcase the power and passion of women who have shaped the sound of our times.
Read MoreDetroit-born violinist extraordinaire Regina Carter has racked up another prestigious musical honor: The National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship Award.
Read MoreIn recognition of Women’s History Month, One Detroit contributor Cecellia Sharpe talks with a pioneering African American woman in music, Stacey “Hotwaxx” Hale, the Godmother of House music.
Read MoreThe Detroit Opera has put a contemporary spin on Handel’s classic 1738 “Xerxes” performance about love and the limits of power. One Detroit producer Sarah Zientarski-Smith got a behind-the-scenes look at the performance.
Read MoreDetroit jazz drummer Gayelynn McKinney talks with WRCJ 90.9 host Cecelia Sharpe about being a female drummer in what once was a male-dominated area of the music industry, her all-female jazz band Straight Ahead, and her recently launched “Women Who Drum” festival for Women’s History Month.
Read MoreThe Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s “Classical Roots” concert returns for the 2023 season, following a three-year COVID hiatus, to celebrate the works of Black composers and musicians.
Read More“American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson talks with the Sphinx Organization about its role in diversifying the classical music landscape during the organization’s 25th anniversary season.
Read MoreOne Detroit contributor Bryce Huffman digs into Detroit’s hip hop history and learns how the city’s unique hip hop style continues to evolve with the next generation.
Read MoreIn celebration of hip hop’s 50th birthday, HOT 107.5 WGPR FM radio shares its history as Michigan’s first Black-owned radio station and Detroit’s only all-hip hop radio format.
Read MoreDr. Hasan Jeffries discusses his participation in the PBS “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World” documentary, executive produced by Chuck D of Public Enemy, and the history of political messages in hip hop.
Read MoreDetroit has lost one of its greatest supporters of the city’s jazz music and arts scene. Gretchen Valade, the “Angel of Jazz,” passed away at age 97. Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation President Chris Collins talks about Valade’s legacy.
Read MoreThe Detroit Opera is bringing back one of the most famous operas, “Aida,” after nearly a decade for a one-night only concert performance.
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One Detroit producer Chris Jordan takes viewers back to the two-day Detroit All-Star Garage Rock Punk Revue music festival to learn more about the origins of Detroit’s punk rock history and how it continues to evolve. He talks with festival organizer Smitt E. Smitty, host Michael Halloran, and several of the artists who performed there about the foundation many of the early bands laid, and how newcomers are turning those influences into their own unique sounds.
Read MoreThe 9th annual Detroit Bass Day celebrates the 50th recording anniversary of the song “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone,” made famous by The Temptations, with fifty bass players coming together in front of the Motown Museum to play its iconic bass line. Producer Daijah Moss visits the celebration at the Motown Museum to learn more about the annual gathering and this year’s theme of exploring family life and fatherhood.
Read MoreThe Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) has partnered with Kadima, a mental health services center, to teach group music classes where clients learn beginner and intermediate music skills, and their favorite songs. One Detroit Arts & Culture Producer Sarah Smith takes viewers behind the scenes of the center’s music therapy classes with the DSO for a look at the benefits of music therapy.
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American Black Journal and The Detroit Jazz Festival have partnered to provide some lucky viewers with a chance to win an official Detroit Jazz Festival 2022 poster and the grand prize winner will also receive a pair of VIP passes for Monday, Sept. 5.
Read More“American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson sits down with Detroit-born playwright Dominique Morisseau to talk about the success of her “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations” musical, its time on Broadway cut short by COVID-19, and the significance of bringing the show to Detroit.
Read MoreDetroit’s All-Star Garage-Rock Punk Revue returns for its 4th year, expanding to two days this year. One Detroit’s Chris Jordan caught up with the show’s organizer, Smitt E. Smitty of the 1980s Detroit band Figures on a Beach, as well as iconic WDET ‘Radios in Motion’ DJ Michael Halloran and musician Gary Reichel of Cinecyde, to discuss the show and how it captures Detroit’s punk music history.
Read MoreThe Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History’s 39th annual African World Festival celebrates its 39th anniversary with a return to the location where the festival got started: Detroit’s Hart Plaza. One Detroit contributing producer AJ Walker takes viewers to Hart Plaza on Detroit’s riverfront for a look at how the 39th annual African World Festival played out in 2022.
Read MoreAt the Center for Performance Arts and Learning, or Cen4Pal for short, culture and diversity come together to provide a safe space for individuals to try their hand at a variety of creative arts. “Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove” visits Cen4Pal to hear about the environment the educational organization is cultivating and the mission to boost students’ confidence through the creative arts.
Read MoreConcert of Colors, Detroit’s annual world music festival, returns to stages across Detroit this year, July 16-24, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the festival. Ahead of the festival, One Detroit speaks with founder Ismael Ahmed and others involved about the festival’s track record of fostering diversity through world music in Detroit.
Read More“American Black Journal” explores how gospel music grew from the blues. Host Stephen Henderson sits down with Baptist pastor and blues musician Rev. Robert Jones, Sr. to explore the connection between the blues and gospel music, and their symbolic, symbiotic relationship. Plus, they discuss gospel music’s roots in the African American community then and today.
Read MoreAmerican Black Journal Producer AJ Walker talks with Dr. Brandon Waddles, a composer, arranger, choir director and music instructor at Wayne State University, about how Negro spirituals uplifted enslaved Africans brought to this country and how it served as a universal language that helped lead them to freedom. Plus, they discuss R&B singers, past and present, whose musical roots stemmed from the Black Church.
Read MoreThe Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) returns for its 45th season with a lineup of A-list composers and performers set to take the Orchestra Hall stage later this year. WRCJ Producer and Host Peter Whorf talks with DSO President and CEO Erik Ronmark about what’s ahead for the DSO’s 2022-2023 season and the relationships the symphony has built with artists over the years.
Read MoreUniversity of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance masters student and saxophonist Valentin Kovalev performs ‘The Great Gate of Kyiv’ with friend and Ukrainian pianist Alexander Polyakov for a Ukraine Benefit Concert.
Read MoreRenowned Cuban pianist, composer and bandleader Jesús “Chucho” Valdés, 80, has amassed...
Read MoreWRCJ 90.9 FM host Cecelia Sharpe sits down with Kris Johnson to talk about his upcoming role in and excitement for the Paradise Jazz Series Big Band debut concert. Plus, the duo discusses Detroit’s rich jazz history in celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month in April.
Read MoreA new live performance arranged by vocalist Joan Ellison is paying tribute to the iconic American actress and singer Judy Garland’s centennial. WRCJ 90.9 FM radio host Cecelia Sharpe sat down with Ellison for a look at Judy Garland’s legacy and how her live show “Get Happy” got started.
Read MoreWRCJ 90.9 Radio Host Cecelia Sharpe sits down with the legendary Detroit jazz bassist Marion Hayden to talk about her introduction to music and the legacy of Detroit’s storied jazz culture.
Read MoreAfter reading gruesome news headlines of the Russia-Ukraine war overseas, University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance masters student Valentin Kovalev was inspired to foster hope and find a way to help Ukrainians. In a sign of solidarity, he performs one of composer Modest Mussorgsky’s most famous works, “The Great Gate of Kyiv.”
Read MoreOne Detroit senior producer Bill Kubota and “Detroit Remember When: Made in the Motor City” host Erik Smith sit down with several former members of WRIF Radio to hear more about the radio station’s rise to popularity in the late 1970s and 1980s and examine how it became one of the most well-known Detroit rock radio stations still to this day.
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Our city lost one of its great cultural leaders on the eve of Monday, March 28, 2022. Detroit Symphony Orchestra President Emeritus Anne Parsons passed away following a courageous battle with cancer. Parsons presided over the DSO from 2004 until last year when she stepped down for health reasons.
Read MoreWRCJ 90.9FM Producer and host Peter Whorf sits down with Calderini to talk about the exciting changes that are coming for the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra next season as well as the performances it still has left in its spring 2021-2022 season.
Read MoreIn celebration of the Sphinx Organization’s 25th anniversary season, WRCJ’s Celilia Sharpe sits down with President and Artistic Director Afa Dworkin to talk about the organization’s growth over the last two decades. Plus, the duo discusses the organization’s partnership with Detroit Public Television and what’s next for the organization as it moves forward.
Read MoreMusic listeners and internet users across the globe may likely know the Russian band Pussy Riot,...
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Detroit’s Queen of the Blues Thornetta Davis sits down with One Detroit’s Christy McDonald to talk about the challenges that many musicians, like herself, have had to navigate for the first time through the pandemic. Plus, she shares how it felt to work with iconic artists Gladys Knight, Bob Segar and Etta James, as well as record a song, “I Am America,” with actor and singer Jeff Daniels.
Read MoreFor Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove, singer/songwriter Aaron Lewys performs his song “Stop...
Read MoreThe unique music of John Williams’ orchestrations from the 1971 film “Fiddler on the Roof” is finally coming to the University of Michigan’s Hill Auditorium theater stage for a first-ever live performance. Before taking the stage, One Detroit’s Arts & Culture team sat down with key members from the upcoming performance to find out what audiences can expect from the concert and hear how the message of “Fiddler on the Roof,” continues to apply today.
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The University of Michigan, University Musical School and The Philadelphia Orchestra team up to bring a unique ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ concert performance to the Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor. Then, explore the life and legacy of Dr. Charles H. Wright, founder of the Museum of African American History. Plus, from “Detroit Remember When: Made in the Motor City,” viewers take a nostalgic trip back to learn about the rise and fall of the Velvet Peanut Butter company. In closing, singer/songwriter Aaron Lewys performs his song “Stop Wasting My Time” for Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove.
Read MoreWatch bassist Kebra Seyoun Charles’, double bass, winning performance from the 25th annual...
Read MoreTrey Simon performs one of his most notable singles, “The Impossible,” for Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove. Simon, who has roots in blues music, has crafted a unique identity for himself over the course of his musical career, and some esteemed accolades have come to follow. Simon has opened for the likes of Patti LaBelle, Andra Day and Andy Grammer, and he was nominated for his first Detroit Music Award in 2020.
Read MoreOne Detroit’s Will Glover talks to veteran Detroit hip-hop artist Deidre D.S. Sense about her latest album and quarantine concert series. Contributor Stephen Henderson talks with filmmaker Ken “Legend” Williams about the impact of his new film, ‘Asbury Park.’ One Detroit’s Christy McDonald talks with Erik Ronmark of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra about the orchestra’s plan to welcome audiences in-person again. And violinist Amaryn Olmeda performs Mozart’s ‘Concerto for Violin No. 3’
Read MoreArts Engine Host and professor of Arts Leadership and Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan Aaron Dworkin sits down with John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts President Deborah Rutter to talk about the ways the John F. Kennedy Center has pivoted, with its Couch Concerts and Arms Across America livestreams, to still provide artistic programming during the pandemic. Rutter shares her suggestions for how artists can continue to promote themselves and their work during tumultuous times, as well as her opinions on the responsibility of arts organizations to foster relationships with diverse audiences in their local community.
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Transport back in time to before Detroit was known as the motor city to learn about the lasting legacy architect Albert Kahn left in Detroit after crafting the Highland Park Ford plant, the Fisher Building and more. Then, One Detroit’s Will Glover catches up with the Heidelberg Project, a three-decade long arts project in east Detroit, to hear how the organization continues to fare during COVID. John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts President Deborah Rutter shares how performances have changed since the pandemic began, and the importance of art in the human experience. Plus, we end the episode with a special Detroit Performs: Live From Maygrove performance of “Could You Love Me” by local folk artist Matt Watroba.
Read MoreWhen Reverand Robert Jones Sr. and Matt Watroba, a former teacher, connected 30 years ago, they found something special when they began creating music. Audiences reacted positively to their camaraderie on stage, which led the two to create the Common Chords nonprofit. One Detroit producer Sarah Smith met up with Jones Sr. and Watroba at the reverand’s church, Sweet Kingdom Baptist in Detroit, to hear more about Common Chord’s mission and vision for the organization’s future.
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This week on One Detroit, Arts & Culture: A music nonprofit bringing people together, a dance studio still grooving four decades later, and the origins of Detroit style pizza. One Detroit producer Sarah Smith talks with Common Chords, a music nonprofit created by two local friends, about the organization’s mission. Plus, she talks with DDC Dances founder Barb Selinger about the dance studios continued success 40 years later. Then, One Detroit’s Bill Kubota takes a deep dive into the origins of Detroit style pizza, and where all the cheese went.
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One Detroit’s Christy McDonald checks in with Interlochen Center for the Arts President Trey Devey about the organizations 30 years of growth, and upcoming celebration. We take a look inside the TRIPTYCH: Stronger Together exhibit at the Irwin House Gallery in Detroit, and talk with the artists’ about the meanings behind their work. Plus, hear how Detroit’s punk scene got started in the late 70s with some help from Detroit punk band Cinecyde.
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On this week’s episode of One Detroit Arts and Culture, the Detroit Historical Museum takes Detroiters back in time with its Hudson’s Holidays exhibit; One Detroit’s Zosette Guir talks with University of Michigan Choir Conductor Eugene Rogers about the choir’s “Considering Matthew Shepard” performance; and Epiphany Studios Owner April Wagner shows viewers how to blow their own glass ornaments just in time for the holidays.
Read MoreIt’s a metro Detroit holiday tradition that goes back to 2007 — Alice McAllister Tillman’s “Once Upon A December Eve” performance returns for the holiday season. One Detroit’s Bill Kubota caught up with Tillman to discuss her musical upbringing with her family, how the holiday tradition started, and what viewers can expect from this year’s show.
Read MoreOne Detroit’s Zosette Guir sits down with University of Michigan Chamber Choir Conductor Eugene Rogers to discuss the choir’s recent performance of the oratorio “Considering Matthew Shepard.” Matthew Shepard was a 19-year-old gay college student attending the University of Wyoming who was brutally murdered. The choir’s performance displays a musical response to Shepard’s death, the hate crime, and his legacy.
Read MoreThe Interlochen Center for the Arts hosts more than a dozen performances to celebrate the organization’s growth from a summer music program to a global arts and education institution. One Detroit’s Christy McDonalds talks with Interlochen President Trey Devey to discover how completing a 30-year campus master plan has helped the organization evolve.
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Detroit rap artist Deidre D.S Sense Smith on her Quarantine Concert Series.
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Renowned Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis talks about his four-day residency with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra with WRCJ’s Linda Yohn.
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Ever since well-known Detroit historian, educator, musician and activist Osvaldo “Ozzie” Rivera was a child, he grew up immersed in traditional Puerto Rican music and culture. One Detroit’s Bill Kubota sat down with Ozzie Rivera to talk about the origins of his passion for music and celebrating culture, memories of drum circles in Clark Park and his outlook on salsa’s longevity.
Read MoreCatch a first glimpse of “Detroit Jazz City,” the upcoming half hour DPTV documentary on Detroit’s role in helping introduce jazz music to the world.
Read MoreOn the next American Black Journal, we’ll take a look at the power of diversity and inclusion in the arts with The Sphinx Organization. Also, we’ll talk about the 23rd annual Sphinx competition for young classical musicians of color, and have an in-studio performance by a talented cellist.
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Stephen talks with Detroit Youth Choir Manager LaVell Nero, Theater Coach Kyle Sammy, and DYC member Imari Carl about the group’s sudden rise to fame as runners up on “America’s Got Talent.” We’ll hear what’s next for the choir.
Read MoreA One Detroit report focuses on the massive streetscape construction project that is hurting businesses along Livernois, the Avenue of Fashion. Plus, Christy talks with the co-owner of Baker’s Keyboard Lounge about how the construction is impacting his business and what the City of Detroit is doing in response to Livernois Avenue business owners’ concerns.
Read MoreOn the next American Black Journal, the Detroit chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity celebrates its centennial this year. Stephen talks with the president of the Gamma Lambda Chapter about the men’s commitment to community service and the anniversary gala planned for October.
Read MoreA special roundtable on some of the top local and national headlines, including the murder of Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle and how he was trying to stop gun and gang violence in his community.
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Check out this clip from Satori Shakoor (The Secret Society of Storytellers) as she gives a powerful performance during American Black Journal’s 50th Anniversary Celebration.
BYLINE:
Stephen gets details on the special Black History Month programming at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, which includes a book talk and signing and a tribute to Detroit’s pioneering hip-hop producer J. Dilla. Plus, a new book uses DNA evidence and the findings of historians and scientists to prove the presence of people of African descent in biblical history.
Read MoreIn the next American Black Journal, the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit welcomes a $1 million gift from Jeffrey Seller, a Michigan native and producer of “Hamilton.” We’ll talk about how the money will benefit the organization in its mission to empower young people through the performing arts. Plus, the 2019 Sphinx Competition Finals Concert is coming up next month. We’ll get the details on this year’s event and how the organization is transforming lives through diversity in the arts. And, we’re treated to an in-studio performance by a Sphinx musician. Don’t miss American Black Journal on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and again on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
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Snoop Dogg has amassed an impressive resume which includes, film, television, internet projects, and charitable work in the community. He sits down with American Black Journal host Stephen Henderson to discuss Redemption of a Dogg, his latest creative venture into the world of musical theatre.
Read MoreOn the next American Black Journal, we’ll get a preview of the 39th Annual Detroit Jazz...
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More than 150,000 people are expected at this year’s Ribs R&B Music Festival at Hart Plaza. Founder of the festival Johnnie Washington talks to Stephen about the event. Plus, we continue with American Black Journal’s 50th anniversary celebration with archive highlights from “CPT”.
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On the next American Black Journal: CONCERT OF COLORS – Detroit’s annual diversity...
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On the next American Black Journal, we take a look at the importance of literacy in the Black...
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