SMYNews: SendMeYourNews: Harlem: Uptown Nights Festival

WED, OCT 9 – SAT, OCT 12

A mecca for bold works and ideas with thought leaders, musicians, and spoken word artists.

WED, OCT 9 @ 7PM
HEAR US
A WORLD PREMIERE

The festival kicks off with Harlem Stage's new CEO & Artistic Director, Dr. Indira Etwaroo in conversation with Denise Young, one of the first and few women of color to reach the C-suite in Silicon Valley. Young's acclaimed work "When We Are Seen," inspired this season's theme. The evening also premieres the photographic exhibit "Tadj" ("Crown" in Swahili) by Hollis King where regality meets eclecticism to illuminate Black dignity and humanity. The evening concludes with the World Premiere of "Hear Us," with haunting melodies and driving rhythms, inspired by the work of Sonia Sanchez and created by a collective of award-winning artists, Arden "Keyz" Altino, Mumu Fresh, Justina Miles, James "Biscuit" Rouse, Divinity Roxx, and Carl Hancock Rux.

A very limited number of tickets will be made available to the public.

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THU, OCT 10 @ 7PM

SUNNY JAIN'S WILD WILD EAST + DJ DANCE PARTY

Composer, drummer, dhol player, and musical alchemist, Sunny Jain recasts the immigrant as the modern-day cowboy and cowgirl, sourcing inspiration from the scores of Bollywood classics and Spaghetti Westerns, Punjabi folk traditions, jazz improvisation, and rollicking psychedelic styles. Twangy, jubilant, and raucous, Wild Wild East's restlessness celebrates multifaceted identities and global interconnectedness—the new cowboy soul of America. The evening concludes with a DJ Dance Party!

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FRI, OCT 11 @ 7PM

JAMES BRANDON LEWIS TRIO

James Brandon Lewis is a saxophonist whose music bridges ancient and modern influences. Lewis with his trio, Chad Taylor, and Josh Werner, perform songs from his prior release "Eye of I". The trio will also premiere works from their upcoming album "Apple Cores." Growing up as a minister's son, Lewis played in church and absorbed the sounds of jazz legends, later drawing inspiration from artists like Charles Gayle and Grover Washington Jr. Praised by Sonny Rollins for his deep, spiritual sound, Lewis continues to innovate across various ensembles.

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SAT, OCT 12 @ 7PM

LIZA JESSIE PETERSON + HANNAH LEMMONS

Liza Jessie Peterson's multisensory experience, "Sistering" is High-Church storytelling, featuring unorthodox, speak-truth-to-power/liberation-by-any-means-necessary, unapologetically Black and bold, voice. An evening of poetry, theater, music, and film, Peterson tells of navigating frequent bouts of faltering faith through connection to angels, divine guidance, bursts of miracles, and a lil' mojo. Representing the angelic realm, singer/songwriter Hannah Lemmons creates a musical landscape evoking the call and response between flesh and spirit.