On Saturday, December 5 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, Carnegie Hall presents A Night of Inspiration, an uplifting evening of music, dance, and spoken work from diverse traditions.
Under the direction of acclaimed producer, composer, and music director Ray Chew, and co-produced with his wife and business partner, Vivian Scott Chew, the uplifting performance returns to the Hall for the sixth time.
The performance features an all-star lineup including Regina Belle, Jekalyn Carr, James Hall, Lisa Knowles-Smith & The Brown Singers, Donald Lawrence, Jonathan McReynolds, Wess Morgan, Azi Schwartz, Avery Sunshine, Darrel Walls, and more. The night will also include presenting the second annual Agape Award to Pastor Shirley Caesar and a special tribute to the renowned gospel artist Maestro Richard Smallwood.
Joining Night of Inspiration for the first year will be the American Composers Orchestra (ACO). “It is a true honor to produce our sixth Night of Inspiration at Carnegie Hall, and we look forward to another wonderful evening this December,” said Ray and Vivian Chew. “Having the opportunity to present distinctive programming at this world-renowned venue for nearly two decades is something we deeply treasure. We created Night of Inspiration to bring people, cultures, and musical genres together, and we hope audiences will leave feeling inspired and filled with joy, having experienced something new musically.”
Carnegie Hall’s dynamic partnership with Ray and Vivian Chew launched in 2009 when Ray served as musical director for Honor!, a festival celebrating the African American cultural legacy through blues, jazz, gospel, R&B, and soul.
Over the past two decades, the duo has produced numerous landmark events, including five sold-out A Night of Inspiration concerts on the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, featuring a large-scale orchestra alongside top-tier gospel and secular artists.
The Chews have been involved in a number of other notable Carnegie Hall performances throughout the years including A Tribute to Motown, paying homage to the distinctive soul sound of the legendary record label’s more than 50-year legacy; a one-of-a kind participatory concert featuring gospel music’s biggest stars, Donnie McClurkin and Kim Burrell; The Music of Stevie Wonder, a sing-a-long performance honoring the iconic performer’s beloved songbook and featuring R&B stars Leela James and BeBe Winans; and Sounds of Change, featuring a stellar cast of artists performing folk songs and R&B classics that defined a generation, as part of Carnegie Hall’s citywide festival The ‘60s: The Years that Changed America. In summer 2019, as part of the free Carnegie Hall Citywide concert series, Ray and Vivian brought A Night of Inspiration to Bryant Park for an uplifting evening under the stars.
They presented Ray Chew Live!, another lively outdoor celebration, in Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park and the Robert F. Smith Center for the Performing Arts in fall 2021.
Find out more at www.nightofinspiration.org.
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