Aspirations and inspiration were in joyful abundance during the A Night of Inspiration concert held Dec. 14 at Carnegie Hall. The star-studded event – produced by acclaimed producer, composer, and music director, Ray Chew, and his wife, business partner, and veteran music executive, Vivian Scott Chew – celebrated its fifth year of inviting audiences to be uplifted by the power of music.
In opening remarks before the sold-out crowd, Mrs. Chew shared the significance of the event, especially during a time of social upheaval and political turmoil. “While we won’t dwell on the challenging events of the past we cannot ignore the realities,” she said. “It is those realities that now more than ever makes music so vitally important to our well-being. Music fortifies us, it heals, and it unites us.”
A recent study in the UK by the World Health Organization and Frontier Economics found that engagement in the arts, particularly music, can lead to a more positive life experience. But you didn’t need a study to prove that to those in attendance at the event. Performance highlights from the likes of Regina Belle, Kierra Sheard-Kelly, a show-stopping tribute to The Winans by Isaac Carree, Melvin Crispell III, Juan Winans, Dave Hollister and Doug E. Fresh, and alumni from the Chew’s Power 2 Inspire Foundation – all backed by a 150-voice choir and 64-piece orchestra – masterfully demonstrated music’s inspirational power as the audience passionately cheered throughout the evening.
At the after-party – also held at Carnegie Hall – many of the show’s performers and VIP guests gathered to celebrate and shared their aspirations for 2025. Sherri Shepherd, a presenter during the show who elicited laughter by joking that she was seeking romance from a pastor in her “sinful seafoam green” dress, will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025. But it’s her role as a mother that is her primary focus for the new year. “What I’m most looking forward to in 2025 is blessings for my son. My label is a mother and going through this season with a teenager is a wooooo,” she exclaimed.
For others, like Jon B. and Mr. Chew, 2025 is the year of new projects. Jon B. is slated to release a new album, Waiting on You. “It’s coming out in March. It’s been 10 years coming, he said. “It’s been a lot of touring. A lot of raising my kids and doing the husband thing. A lot of life has been lived in order to make this album what it is. I think you guys are gonna enjoy it.” Meanwhile Mr. Chew, who is juggling duties as music director for ABC’s Dancing with the Stars is eager to complete a documentary. “My aspirations for 2025 are personal direction, alignment, and completing my musical documentary, My Journey,” he said.
After graciously posing for a plethora of photos, Belle noted that she is taking the night’s inspirational theme to heart and plans to continue to use music as an instrument for healing in 2025. “I am looking for life, No. 1, good health, and I’m looking for ways to help people to heal through my music – through the things that I say,” she said. “And even if it’s just my very presence to give somebody a hug.”
Black Theater Night at The Blood Quilt
The inspirational force of the arts was also felt several days before A Night of Inspiration, as Lincoln Center Theater hosted a Black Theater Night on Dec. 10 for The Blood Quilt. The powerful family drama centers around four sisters who gather after the passing of their mother to complete a quilt in her honor. When the mother’s will is shared family secrets, personal issues, and sibling rivalries threaten to tear them apart. Following the show was a talkback where members of the audience, cast, the writer Katori Hall, and director Lileana Blain-Cruz expressed their appreciation for Black Theater Night. Many praised the program as providing a space where they could openly share their thoughts on topics within the play such as race, family, and capitalism.
Black Theater Nights have become a popular way for theaters to conduct outreach to Black audiences. In a blog post, Donna Walker-Kuhne, founder and president of Walker International Communications Group, Inc., highlighted the impact of such audience development tools. “There also is a certain joy and celebration experienced when attending a performance about your community with members of your community,” she wrote. “… theater remains one of our greatest cultural instruments for breaking down barriers. I believe this is one of the keys to making our arts venues safe spaces for all.”
A shared sense of community and hearing how her work inspired audience members resonated with Hall. “This is my third or fourth time seeing it with audiences and this has been absolutely the best,” she said. “To be here with y’all [is] to feel at home in a place oftentimes you don’t feel at home.”
If The Blood Quilt and A Night of Inspiration are any indicators, 2025 will be another inspirational year in the arts.
The column, On the “A” w/Souleo, covers the arts, culture, entertainment, party, and philanthropy scene in Harlem and beyond and is written by Souleo.
