As part of a 40+ city North American tour, multi-genre recording artist Damien Sneed will lead an uplifting ensemble of musicians, vocalists, and choral groups in We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. MSC OPAS will present the concert on Friday, Feb. 7, at 7:30pm in Rudder Auditorium at Texas A&M University. Tickets are $10 for all area students, $20 for adults, and are on sale now at the MSC Box Office. Parking is available in University Center Garage and Cain Garage. Parking fees are not included in ticket prices.
Inspired by the words and actions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., We Shall Overcome is a joyful celebration of music from across the African American music traditions that electrified generations of civil rights activists and defenders with interwoven spoken word from Dr. King’s recorded speeches. The production ties together a living lineage of music and culture that includes traditional gospel, modern gospel, classical, jazz, Broadway, and spirituals. From Aretha Franklin to Wynton Marsalis; Duke Ellington to Stevie Wonder; Nina Simone to Donny Hathaway; and traditional spirituals and music from “the Wiz,” Damien’s unique understanding of each genre allows him to fluidly cover so much musical ground in a single performance.
In addition to local choral groups, Texas A&M’s Voices of Praise, and Prairie View A&M University Choir, Sneed will be joined for the one-night-only concert by a group of multi-genre vocalists and instrumentalists, including Chenee Campbell (vocalist), Anitra McKinney (vocalist), Alicia Peters-Jordan (vocalist), Matia Washington (vocalist), Linny Smith (vocalist), Joel Tate (drums), Arthur Sutton (bass), and Marquéz Cassidy (keyboards).
Sneed states, “I got my start as a music director and conductor working with choirs from my church, the Good Shepherd Baptist Church, and at my performing arts high school, Davidson Fine Arts School, both in Augusta, GA.” The Sphinx Medal Excellence recipient continues, “It’s significant to have choral groups accompany us on the majority of the tour because it represents the construct of community which is very much a part of the message that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for.”
Sneed released his double-disc deluxe edition of Damien Sneed: We Shall Overcome on Friday, Jan. 10, on his LeChateau Earl Records. In September 2019, he released his new offering, Jazz In Manhattan. Previous recordings include Damien Sneed: We Shall Overcome (January 2019), The Three Sides of Damien Sneed: Classical, Jazz and Sanctified Soul (July 2018), Broken To Minister: The Deluxe Edition (March 2015), Spiritual Sketches (June 2013), and Introspections LIVE (January 2010).
For more information about We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, visit www.MSCOPAS.org. Ticket information is available by calling the MSC Box Office at (979) 845-1234.
