The Kimmel Center’s beloved holiday tradition returns – “A Soulful Christmas” will honor Dove, Stellar, GMWA, and NAACP Image Award-winning singer and Grammy® nominee Dottie Peoples on Tuesday, December 11, 2018 in Verizon Hall at 7:30 p.m. Now in its 6th year, this annual celebration has become an uplifting holiday gathering, featuring over 600 regional choristers performing spirituals and gospel favorites on one stage. Led by artistic & music director Dr. J. Donald Dumpson, Marvin Mills will be accompanying the choristers on the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ.
“The Kimmel Center is honored to host this celebrated communal experience each holiday season,” said Anne Ewers, president and CEO of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. “This gathering is honestly one of my favorite events of the year, as community members of all ages congregate to share in this night of beautiful music and celestial joy.”
Dottie Peoples has a gift for thought-provoking, life-affirming music that resonates deeply with audiences throughout the world. An Ohio native who spent summers in Alabama with her grandmother, Peoples grew up singing, garnering attention for her distinctive voice from a young age. After seeing her perform in Ohio, the legendary Dorothy Norwood enlisted Peoples to join her on the road. Soon after that, she went on tour with The Rolling Stones. Following the tour, she continued singing and developing her reputation as a jazz vocalist, yet returned to her true passion of singing gospel shortly after.
In addition to singing, Peoples is also an astute businesswoman. She served as general manager of Church Door Records and also launched her own radio show. After 14 years with Church Door, Peoples signed with AIR Records and took her career to another level, earning her first Stellar Award nomination. Her 1994 release on AIR, “On Time God,” was a pivotal release that rocketed to No. 1 on the charts and earned her four Stellar Awards and a nomination for Soul Train’s Lady of Soul Award. Peoples has continued to garner more than 50 industry accolades, including the 2010 Stellar for Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year.
A Soulful Christmas will be hosted by Philadelphia’s celebrated radio personalities Patty Jackson, Dyana Williams, and Fred Blain. The night will feature performances from the Deliverance Evangelistic Church Mass Choir, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Mass Choir, Gospel Music Preservation Alliance, Mount Carmel Baptist Church Combined Choir, Philadelphia A.M.E. Mass Choir, Philadelphia Catholic Gospel Mass Choir, Philadelphia Heritage Chorale, Philadelphia Heritage Youth Chorale, Soulful Praise Dancers, and the Universal African Drummers, Dancers, and Stilt Walkers. The performance will be led by artistic and music director Dr. J. Donald Dumpson.
Other featured upcoming performances at the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus include: Mannheim Steamroller: Christmas by Chip (December 1, 2018, Academy of Music), I Touch My Elf – The Skivvies: Lauren Molina & Nick Cearley (December 6-8, 2018, SEI Innovation Studio), and Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia – A Cole Christmas (December 15, 2018, Perelman Theater).
A SOULFUL CHRISTMAS
Verizon Hall
December 11, 2018
Tickets are on sale now and start at $35. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling 215-790-5883. See www.kimmelcenter.org for more information.
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