Concert of Colors Festival, Common Chords, Sandra Epps

This episode was originally published on July 11, 2022. It was updated and re-published on Nov. 14, 2022.

Tonight on One Detroit, Arts & Culture:

Detroit’s Concert of Colors Returns In-Person for 30th Anniversary World Music Festival

The Concert of Colors music festival, Detroit’s annual world music festival, returns to stages across Detroit this year, July 16-24, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the festival. The Concert of Colors festival also celebrates a return to in-person performances, from international bands across the world, after having to pivot virtual programming in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ahead of the festival’s return to in-person this year, Detroit Public TV‘s Mariellen Chynoweth and Producer Jessie Fidler sit down with Concert of Colors Founder Ismael Ahmed and Deputy Director Ralph Valdez for a conversation about how and why the Concert of Colors began, as well as how the festival continued to succeed virtually in 2020 and 2021.

Plus, Blue Note Records President and renowned producer and artist Don Was and Richard Parris, a singer for Universal Xpression, talk about the power of music as a universal vessel to share different cultures with the community, and to begin to understand the similarities we share as humans.

30-Year Friendship Paves Way for Common Chords Nonprofit

A friendship sparked 30 years ago at a local radio station has paved the way for the founding of Common Chords, a Detroit-based nonprofit focusing on understanding diverse groups of people and creating connections between shared values using music. When Rev. Robert Jones Sr., who grew up in Detroit, and Matt Watroba, a former teacher from Plymouth, 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 Common Chords. One Detroit producer Sarah Smith met up with Jones Sr. and Watroba at the reverend’s church, Sweet Kingdom Baptist in Detroit, to hear more about Common Chord’s mission and vision for the organization’s future.

Body Painter Sandra Epps On the Transformative Nature of Her Artwork

When artist Sandra Epps, founder of Sandy’s Land, creates her awe-inspiring paintings, they put a smile on the faces of the people who receive them. The catch? They’ll have to look in a mirror to see them because the paintings are on her clients’ bodies.

For “Detroit Performs: Live from Marygrove,” One Detroit Arts & Culture host Satori Shakoor sits down with Epps to learn more about body painting and the transformative nature it can have on people’s bodies. Plus, the duo delves deep into how Epps found art at a young age after being diagnosed with lupus, her message of celebrating women who have faced adversity, the process of body painting, and the other mediums, like silk painting, she enjoys working with through her company Sandy’s Land.

Singer Monique Ella Rose Performs For ‘Detroit Performs: Live From Marygrove’

One Detroit wraps up tonight’s episode with a performance from Detroit-based singer Monique Ella Rose.

Rose, a prolific singer and songwriter, highlights influences from Gospel, jazz, soul and R&B into her music alongside lyrics that are meant to encourage and uplift listeners. Most notably, she’s performed with Anthony Hamilton, Dwele, Maxwell, Chrisette Michele, Angela Winbush, Marsha Ambrosius, and other musicians.