Newark Symphony Hall Africa on Stage
| Dear Friends and Family, This October – for the first time ever – Newark Symphony Hall will premiere Africa on Stage. For the entire month of October, Newark Symphony Hall will be filled to the brim with programming spotlighting African arts, culture, music, education, and community. More than a series of performances, Africa on Stage is a celebration of culture, story, and legacy. It is about what becomes possible when people are given the freedom to express themselves. For a century, Newark Symphony Hall has been a place where artists have found their voices and audiences have found pieces of themselves. As we celebrate 100 years of Newark’s First Stage, we believe our responsibility is not only to preserve that extraordinary history, but to use our stage to inspire what comes next. |
 Few artists embodied that power more boldly than Fela Kuti.Fela understood that music could do more than move a crowd. His art invited people to dance, but it also challenged them to think, question, speak, and imagine a different future. That spirit sits at the heart of Africa on Stage. We are creating space for the freedom of artistic expression and using that freedom to empower our community.Newark is a global city, shaped by generations of Black American history and communities with roots throughout Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, and across the Diaspora. Africa on Stage gives us an opportunity to bring those experiences into conversation with one another. Our stories may begin in different places, but art reminds us of where they intersect. Throughout history, art has been more than entertainment. It has been a language of resistance, a declaration of identity, a source of healing, and a powerful instrument for change. Across the African continent and throughout the Diaspora, artists have used music, movement, storytelling, visual art, and performance to speak when other forms of expression were limited – or simply not enough. |
 Join us this October as we activate Newark Symphony Hall as a gathering place for performance, education, conversation, cultural exchange, and community.We want young people to discover new forms of expression. We want artists to have the freedom to create. We want families and neighbors to experience traditions beyond their own. And we want our community to recognize the power of its own voice. Because when people are free to create, they are free to question. When they are free to question, they are free to imagine. And when a community is free to imagine, it has the power to shape its own future. One of the season’s major highlights is FELA! The Musical, inspired by the life, music, activism, and revolutionary spirit of Fela Kuti, coming to the Sarah Vaughan Concert Hall on October 22.Purchase Your Tickets Today |
| In the spirit of Fela, we are empowering our community through the freedom of artistic expression. Connecting Africa and Newark.Celebrating the Diaspora.Creating space for cultural exchange. We are joining forces with incredible partners to create a truly unique experience for our community. For Newark Symphony Hall, this is what it means to be more than a venue. We are a cultural institution with a responsibility to create spaces where people can gather, discover, collaborate, challenge, celebrate, and be heard.For 100 years, this stage has carried extraordinary voices. As we begin our next century, we intend to make room for even more.This October, Africa takes the stage – and the community has the mic. Sincerely, Talia L. Young – President & CEO – Newark Symphony Hall |
