Tunes from Chaka Khan, James Brown, Hezekiah Walker and more will help set the stage for a rhythmic, soulful and enlightening evening at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Charter High School’s (CHS) LOVE of Music event, where CHS students will perform.
The Legacy Opportunity Versed Empowerment (LOVE) event will begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, June 30 in the Multipurpose Room on the East St. Louis Higher Education Campus, 601 James R. Thompson Blvd. in East St. Louis. Doors will open at 5 p.m.
“The purpose of the event is to highlight the East St. Louis community, while celebrating and reliving the history of black music from the ‘70s to the present day,” said Johnathan Tate, LOVE event liaison and CHS STEM faculty. “The event, which is a celebration of the rich history of the arts in black culture, will be encouraging and empowering for the community to remind them of its inherent strength and beauty.”
This free musical event will feature CHS students performing gospel, hip-hop and spoken word. CHS alumni and band/choir members DeAmbra Loveless, Esau Toombs and Tyler Bonner will also entertain the audience. Other Metro East musicians include Taryn Taylor, Michael Thigpen, Jereme Dyson and Tate.
Jack Williams, director of the SIUE East St. Louis Performing Arts Program, will present a special dance piece performed by program students.
East St. Louis native, Ackurate, also known as Vincent Manuel, will give an artistic performance. Alonzo Townsend, Legends manager of the National Blues Museum, will be the emcee and guest speaker for the evening. The event will also feature artwork created by CHS students.
Gina Jeffries, CHS director, said the talents of the CHS students inspired her to support the event. “This is a great opportunity to showcase to the community our students’ love and respect of the arts,” added Jeffries, “and it is a phenomenal opportunity for the East St. Louis community to become more exposed to the importance and value of the arts.”
Free food will be available after the performance.
For more information, contact Tate at jotate@siue.edu.
Photos:
Kevin Mayfield, SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School senior, and Ackurate, also known as Vincent Manuel perform a rap routine for the June 30 Legacy Opportunity Versed Empowerment (LOVE) event.
Esau Toombs, CHS alum, practices on the drums.