FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Karin Venegas, karin@anatgerstein.com, 347-361-7049
Sandra Tharas, sandra@anatgerstein.com, 347-361-7068
From Cameroon to Queens, Gino Sitson Brings a “Beautiful Vibration” to Flushing Town Hall’s Stage
“A master of vocal manipulation.” - The New York Times“A local phenomenon.” - Time Out NY
“A stunningly versatile vocalist with a cunning imagination.” - The Los Angeles Times
Gino Sitson (credit: Alain Herman)
(Flushing, N.Y.)– On Friday, August 20 at 7:00 PM (ET), The Gino Sitson Trio brings “Beautiful Vibration” - Colors of African Music to Flushing Town Hall with a live, hybrid performance for both in-person and at-home audiences.
In honor of Flushing Town Hall’s 42nd anniversary and to ensure continued Covid safety, the venue is open at a limited capacity, offering 42 in-person tickets. The concert will also be livestreamed, and an unlimited number of virtual tickets are available for global music lovers to tune in from home — and from anywhere around the world.
“Flushing Town Hall’s mission is to present global arts to the global communities of Queens and New York City. Throughout the pandemic, the internet has given us the opportunity to reach a truly global audience,” says Executive & Artistic Director Ellen Kodadek. “We are so pleased to welcome the local community back into our Hall and to continue presenting wonderful artists to the world online!”
“It’s such a pleasure and an honor for me to perform at Flushing Town Hall with the greats Lonnie Plaxico and Marvin Sewell,” says Dr. Sitson of his trio members. “This project reflects my musical journey from Cameroon to the United States.”
Today a resident of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Gino Sitson, PhD is originally from the Bamiléké region of Cameroon, Central Africa where he is descendent from a long line of family musicians known as Ntontas (“players of horns”). His mother is a singer and choir director. His daring musical project combines traditional African polyphonies, polyrhythms, and melodies with American jazz, gospel, and blues in a most innovative way, generating an exciting and multicultural, new sound.
The trio features Sitson’s original compositions, voice, and body percussion, alongside Lonnie Plaxico on double bass and Marvin Sewell on acoustic guitar and voice.
Sitson’s extraordinary voice covers an impressive, four-octave range. He has recorded eight albums, including his most recent, “Echo Chamber,” which was preceded in 2016 by his entirely a’capella solo album of 16 songs, “Body & Voice.”
When not performing his own music, he can be heard on recordings with other artists and in various television and radio commercial jingles. He has even composed for the beloved Nickelodeon show, “Dora The Explorer.” In 2008, Sitson appeared with Bobby McFerrin in an “Instant Opera” project at Carnegie Hall and appears in the 2009 PBS documentary, “The Music Instinct: Science and Song,” along with McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma.
Sitson is the winner of the 2004 Parents Choice Silver Medal Honor Award. Since 2006, he has served as a Cultural Arts Ambassador for the City of Miami, Florida and is currently also a UNICEF CAMEROON Goodwill Ambassador and Associate Researcher at IreMus (Institut de recherche en musicologie: Paris-Sorbonne, CNRS, BnF, Ministère de la culture).
For more information on The Gino Sitson Trio’s performance or to purchase tickets, visit:
https://www.flushingtownhall.org/gino-sitson
Support Flushing Town Hall this season!
Flushing Town Hall recently launched its new membership program, Flushing Town Hall’s Circle of Friends, with memberships starting at gifts of $50 or more. With the loss of nearly all earned income, Flushing Town Hall is in dire need of support and is currently raising funds under its Lemon-AID the Arts Campaign. Donations in any amount are appreciated to support the artists and the nonprofit cultural organization as they continue to provide programming and entertainment across New York and the world.
For Calendar Listings:
FRIDAY, August 20, 7:00 PM (ET)
The Gino Sitson Trio’s “Beautiful Vibration” - Colors of African Music
Virtual Tickets: $7/$5 Members
In-Person Tickets (42 tickets only): $12/$10 Members
Flushing Town Hall presents "Beautiful Vibration" - Colors of African Music, a live concert featuring award-winning, vocal virtuoso Gino Sitson and his trio. Originally from the Bamiléké region of Cameroon, Central Africa, Sitson’s daring musical project combines jazz, gospel, and blues with traditional African polyphonies, polyrhythms and melodies in a most innovative way. Percussive grooves and enchanting vocals intertwine with lyrical melodies in this great, global music program presented for both in-person and at-home audiences.
Thank you to our generous community of donors for providing Flushing Town Hall a foundation of strength and endurance. We are grateful beyond measure for the elected officials, donors and members, foundations, corporations, volunteers, and all patrons who have supported us for over 40 years, in the best and the worst of times. Flushing Town Hall is grateful for all gifts received and wishes to thank everyone for their ongoing generosity.
Flushing Town Hall is a not for profit organization which receives major support from the National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; New York State Assembly Member Ron Kim; The City of New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Commissioner Gonzalo Casals; Queens Borough President Donovan Richards; The New York City Council, Speaker Corey Johnson, Council Members Costa Constantinides, Daniel Dromm, Barry Grodenchik, Peter Koo, Karen Koslowitz, Paul A. Vallone, Jimmy Van Bramer; Howard Gilman Foundation, Booth Ferris Foundation, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation.
Flushing Town Hall greatly appreciates the supporters of our current campaign, Lemon-AID the Arts. If you are able and willing to help, please click here to learn more and donate today. Special thanks to our donors with gifts of $100 and above: Arline Abdalian, Alberta Alexandre, Karen Argueta, Maria Arias, Henry Assael, Bob Band, Christopher Banks, Barbara Banks Schwam, Beverly Bartow, Geraldine Benfante, Viviana M. Benitez, Carl Bennett, Denise Boudiette, Seth Bornstein, Larue Brathwaite, Anne Bresnahan, Carolee Brooks-Hildenbrandt, Jeanette Brown, Claire Bullard, Christopher Caltieri, Jenna Capeci, Calvin Chan, Dongshin Chang, Christopher Chen, Annika Cheng, Cecilia Cheng, Amy Chin, Wanda Chin, Ginger Chinn, Alexander Choi, David Creed, Jacob Eichenbaum, David Fesser, Ellen Fisher-Turk, Karen Fitzgerald, Paul Foster, Toni Foy, Emma Frankel, Andrew Garson, Gitler Family Fund, Anat Gerstein, Carl Gold, Loren Golden, Howard Graf (Graf & Lewent Architects), Constance Hammen, Heather Harrison, Alan Heilbron, Susan Hennessy, Loren Golden, Geraldene Hornsby-Gray, Rhenaye Hornsby, Timothy Hosking, Ming-I Huang, Raymond Jasen, Carmen Jimenez, Minja Kang, Andrew Karp, Amir Kassam, Adrienne Kivelson, Bob Kodadek, Ellen Kodadek, Saul Kupferberg, Carol Leaf, Stephanie Lee, Anne Lewent, Judith Lewent and Mark Shapiro, Steve Lewent, James Liao, Jeri Lim, Meiling Liu, Stephanie Long, Martha Ma, Frank Macchio, Rob Mackay, Sandra Mann, Pamela Marquez, Steve Marston, William McClure, Brenda McCoy, Steven Mecca, Cynthia Merkle, Chi Mo, Lee Nash, Sandra Nash, Rochelle Nechin, Albert Niu, TeHsing Niu, The Ong Family Foundation, Jessica Peña, Kimberly Phelan, Mary and Oscar Pollock, Ryan Powers, Hope Pordy, Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Association, Richard Quatrano, Alfred and Diane Rankins, Dottye Ricks, Mira Rubens, Teresa Salles, Jeffrey Schneider, Roslyn Schwersenz, Anthony Scotto, Gustavo Segredo, Tina Seligman, Dominique Sellers, Alice Sharp, Thomas Simmons, Stephen Sincovich, Judi Silvano, Mike Sperendi and Jan Schneider, Douglas Stalnaker, Sheila Sweeney, Jean Tatge, Marsha Toma, Veronica Tsang, WAC Lighting, Tai-nin Wang, Jill Ward, Daryl Ware, Jay Wegman, David and Elsie Werber, Constance Wingate, Robert and Karla Wishnick, Edwina and Eldwin Wong, Lucy Wong, Jennie Woo, Jon Yanofsky, Mimi Yeung.
Support for our programs is also provided by Cathay Bank, Douglass Chan, Amy Mak Chan, Calvin W. Chan, Sharon Chen, Ginger Chinn, Dr. Hsing-Lih Chou/New York Institute of Culture and the Arts, Con Edison, Crossings TV, Kuang-Yu Fong/Chinese Theatre Works, Howard Graf and Kathy Donovan, Guru Krupa Foundation, Investors Foundation, Raymond D. Jasen, the Jim Henson Foundation, Ellen Kodadek, Nelson Lee/Flushing Bank, Anne Lewent, James S. Liao, Emily Lin/Lin & Loveall Foundation, Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, Frank Macchio, Materials for the Arts, William McClure/Queens College, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Northwell Health, TeHsing Niu, Carlos Ortiz, Queens Art Education Center/Arthur Liu, RuDance/Asian American Dance Sport Corp., Helen Shieh, Richard Siu, Curtis Smith, Michael Tang, Veronica Tsang, Tai and Tony Wang/Glow Foundation, Anna Wu, Minwen Yang, Hank Yeh, Sandy Yeh, Shane Yeh, and Angela Qi Zhang.
Flushing Town Hall greatly appreciates the sponsors of the 2021 Lunar New Year Chinese Temple Bazaar: Tai Wang and Glow Foundation (Title Sponsor), Amy Mak Chan, The Andy Li Team at Compass, Healthfirst, MetroPlusHealth, The Parc Hotel, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr., Shandong Association, Shanghai Commercial Bank, and President of Flushing Town Hall Veronica Tsang. A special thank you to Flushing Town Hall’s Chinese Cultural Committee for their ongoing support.
With special thanks to the Howard Gilman Foundation, Flushing Town Hall was able to purchase equipment needed to live-stream and record from its theater.
Louis Armstrong Legacy Virtual Jazz Jam is supported in part by a grant from The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, Inc.
We have done our best to recognize donations correctly, but should your recognition be incorrect, please contact Jessica Peña, Director of Development, at jpena@flushingtownhall.org.
About Flushing Town Hall
Flushing Town Hall (FTH), a Smithsonian affiliate, presents multi-disciplinary global arts that engage and educate the global communities of Queens and New York City, in order to foster mutual appreciation. As advocates of arts equity since 1979, we support local, immigrant, national, and international artists, developing partnerships and collaborations that enhance our efforts. As a member of New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), we serve to restore, manage and program the historic 1862 landmark on behalf of the City of New York. FTH celebrates the history of Queens as the home of Jazz, by presenting the finest in Jazz performance. We are committed to arts education and hands-on learning, for the arts-curious, arts enthusiasts, and professional artists. We serve one of the most diverse communities in the world and strive to uphold the legacy of inclusiveness that has defined our community since the Flushing Remonstrance of 1657.
Land Acknowledgement:
Flushing Town Hall acknowledges that we are on the traditional land of the Matinecock People, one of the original tribes of New York, and the first people of Flushing, Queens. The Matinecock continue to live and work on this land to this day. Flushing Town Hall honors their elders who have stewarded this land throughout generations.
COVID-19:
Flushing Town Hall temporarily closed its physical venue during the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with social distancing guidelines, presenting performances, exhibitions, panel discussions, and educational programs online through its virtual initiatives, FTH at Home! and Global Arts for Global Kids at Home. In 2021, Flushing Town Hall began its soft reopening, with artists and performers, staff, and in-person audiences invited to return at a limited capacity for select events, while it continues to offer virtual programs and live streaming.
For more information:
www.flushingtownhall.org
(718) 463-7700 x222
137-35 Northern Blvd. Flushing, NY 11354