The Music

This Concert will expose the audience to the Negro Spirituals and the diverse musical traditions that they have spawned including, Gospel, jazz, R&B, and even Hip-Hop.  The Conductors will guide a journey through a musical culture that has functioned as a tool of resistance and as a source of hope for a Black people who have endured four centuries of white supremacy and its unrelenting assault on Black lives and Black bodies.  The intent of this Concert is to use music to connect the African American struggle for freedom and justice with the struggles of other Americans who have had to fight their way in from the margins of our society.

Artistic Director and Conductor

Mr. Ramón Bryant Braxton, served as the Director of Music & Fine Arts at the historic Abyssinia Baptist Church of Harlem, NY from 2018-2022. He has also served the Metropolitan Baptist Church of DC, the New Psalmist Baptist Church of Baltimore, the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church of Atlanta, and the First Shiloh Baptist Church of Buffalo. Mister Braxton is a composer, conductor, vocalist, pianist, and organist. He served as a vocal instructor at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts (DC) and Assistant Director of the Howard University Choir. He is a graduate of the Morehouse College in Atlanta (BA), and the Morgan Stage University in Baltimore (MM).

Co-Artistic Director

Dr. Stephen Michael Newby serves as Professor of Music; Director of Composition; and the Director of the Center for Worship at the Seattle Pacific University. He also serves as Minister of Worship at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA, and Director of African American Worship Studies at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN. Dr. Newby is a composer, conductor, gospel/jazz vocalist, and pianist.  He has served as a Worship Pastor for more than 25 years in Michigan, Massachusetts, Washington, California., and Georgia He has earned degrees from Madonna University (BA), University of Massachusetts at Amherst (MM), Seattle Pacific 

Special Guest Artist

Mr. Darin Atwater is a critically acclaimed composer, conductor, pianist, record producer, arranger, film composer, vocalist, and arts advocate. Though classically trained, his music incorporates gospel and jazz.  He has recorded and conducted for Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, Shirley Caesar, Richard Smallwood, Wynton Marsalis, Jennifer Hudson, and Ruben Studdard to name a few.  In 2000, Atwater founded Soulful Symphony, an orchestra with vocals made up of primarily African American and Latino musicians. The 2009 Emmy Award-winning “Soulful Symphony with Darin Atwater” was one of the longest running pledge specials for MPT/PBS. In 2018, Atwater was commissioned by the Mann Center and the Philadelphia Orchestra to compose “South Side, Symphonic Dances”- an adaptation of “West Side Story” for the Leonard Bernstein Centennial.

Featured Soloists  

Bridget Bazile

Bridget is an internationally renowned Classical and Gospel singer.   She is a native of New Orleans but was Seattle based for nearly 20 years.  She is a former member of the Moses Hogan Chorale and Singers.  Bridget studied Vocal Performance at the University of Oklahoma, the University of New Orleans (MM), and Tulane University (BA).  Bridget speaks and sings fluently in the four languages of English, French, Italian, and Spanish.  Bridget currently resides in Paris, France.

James Connor

James has been a performer at the Universal Studios since 2009.  He is a Gospel and R&B recording artist, composer, conductor, pianist, dancer, and actor.  James is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston where he Studied Music Education. He has served as Minister of Music, Worship Leader, and Choir Director for Churches in Massachusetts, California, and Washington. A native of Seattle, He sang with the Total Experience Gospel Choir under the musical mentorship of Rev. Pat Wright in his youth.

Soloman Howard

Soloman is one of the most acclaimed opera singers in the world.  His voice is described as “sonorous” by the New York Times, “Superhuman” by the Denver Post, and “a triumph” by the Guardian.  He is the winner of the 2021 Washington Performing Arts Ambassador of the Arts Award, and the Kennedy Center’s 2019 Marion Anderson Vocal Award. He a graduate of Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. Soloman is a graduate of Howard University (BA) and Morgan State University (MM).

Choral Singers

An intergenerational Choir of 25 gifted local singers has been selected to perform choral selections.  The group includes well known gospel artists Martha Nash, Robin Henderson, Felicia Curry, Deneen Grant, and Eldridge Harding. They are combined with emerging gifted young vocalists from the Puget Sound Community. Together they form a musically versatile Choir with an extraordinarily rich and dynamic sound.

The Musicians

The Conductors, soloists, and choir will be accompanied by Orchestra, and rhythm section.

The Emcee

The Honorable T’wina Nobles, Washington State Senator from the 28th District.

The Dignitaries

Opening greetings will be received from:

• US Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland

• Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodard

• Washington Governor Jay Inslee

• Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell

VIP Reception

There will be a pre-event VIP Reception for up to 200 individuals beginning at 5:00 pm in a separate room within the McCaw Hall facility.  The list of invitees will include event sponsors, public officials, and community leaders.  The Conductors will make a brief appearance at the reception to thank the event sponsors and to explain the music and the program that they are about to present. 

For Tickets

https://one-seattle.ticketleap.com/juneteenth/

For Event Sponsorship

To contribute, please visit the Church Council of Greater Seattle donation page at https://thechurchcouncil.ejoinme.org/MyPages/ChurchCouncilDonation/tabid/941881/Default.aspx and select "Juneteenth Musical" from the dropdown menu labeled "I would like to designate my gift for a specific fund/purpose:"