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Showing posts from February, 2018

Nejma Nefertiti Opens "Mermaid's Howl" at La MaMa

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Nejma Nefertiti invoking the spirits Recently our own Nejma Nefertiti collaborated with theatre artist Marina Celander in a stage production presented by La Mama Experimental Theatre Club for its Series of One: A Solo Performance Festival, titled  Mermaid's Howl . The title is an homage to the legendary South Korean female sea divers, who f or hundreds of years have made their living harvesting seafood by hand from the ocean floor. Known as  haenyeo , or sea women, they use no breathing equipment, although a typical dive might last around two minutes and take them as deep as ten meters underwater.   At one point, a wolf also speaks through Marina - ergo the "Howl." Celander's play utilizes lights, sound effects, costumes, dream-work, and spiritual channeling to tell the story of her immigrant Korean/Japanese/Swedish mother as she struggles to establish her identity.

Nina Kennedy and Former Fisk Jubilee Singers Appear on "The Choir Loft" Show

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Lowri Marie on set for The Choir Loft show Sopranos Lowri Marie and Kasey Porter shared the spotlight with Nina Kennedy at the MNN Studios in New York for a special taping of The Choir Loft , produced by Rhonda McClelland on February 24 th . The topic for this show was the world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers of Nashville, Tennessee. The show opened with Lowri Marie performing the Spiritual Bye and Bye , and the tour de force Climb Ev‘ry Mountain by Richard Rodgers. She was then interviewed by Rhonda, reminiscing on her career as a singer and her work with the Fisk Jubilee Singers. 

Lowri Marie and Nina Kennedy Perform in Harlem

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Nina Kennedy and Lowri Marie performing at the Salvation Army Harlem Temple Corps Sunday morning, February 18 th , soprano Lowri Marie and pianist Nina Kennedy were presented in what was called a “Black History Moment” at the Salvation Army Harlem Temple Corps, 540 Malcolm X Boulevard in New York City. During the regular Sunday service, Lowri Marie sang the Spiritual Bye and Bye , arranged by Edward Boatner, accompanied by Nina Kennedy on piano. The congregation was then treated to clips from the documentary film   Matthew Kennedy: One Man’s Journey , produced and directed by Nina Kennedy, about her father’s life and work as director of the internationally acclaimed Fisk Jubilee Singers. Nina Kennedy introducing clips from Matthew Kennedy: One Man's Journey Envoy Kenneth Burton had specifically requested a short clip of this film because he wanted some of the younger members of the congregation to be exposed to the history of Fisk University and the Fisk Ju...