Category: BLAC Inc.

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Child advocate Geoffrey Canada to speak on April 28 in Oklahoma City

Anita G. Arnold, executive director of Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC), Inc., has announced that Geoffrey Canada, nationally known child advocate who founded Harlem Children’s Zone will speak from 1 to 3 p.m. April 28 at the Petroleum Club, 4040 N. Lincoln Blvd. 2nd floor, in Oklahoma City. Tickets are $40.  No tickets will be sold at the door, and seating is limited.  
Canada is known for helping impoverished, at-risk youth beat the odds.  Canada’s programs are on the cutting edge of preventing youth violence and fostering community development.  He transformed a 24-block area in Harlem, NY, and developed a network of services that has helped  more than 10,000 children.  
 The 2010 Brock Prize Laureate was presented a $40,000 award for excellence in education by Oklahoma University President David Boren and Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis at Tulsa University.  Canada is also a recipient of the Heinz Award which carries a $250,000 prize.  Canada has appeared on numerous television shows including “60 Minutes” and “The Colbert Report.”  He is also seen in an American Express television commercial that speaks of his ground-breaking work. 
Arnold said in a news release, “Oklahoma City is fortunate to have Mr. Canada come to share his experiences.  Anyone who is serious about changing the lives of children and profoundly changing communities should be there.  There is no one in America more qualified to address the issues of America’s children.  Mr. Canada knows what he is talking about.  He has lived it, written about it, inspired children and showed them how to succeed using his resources for their good.  We need to listen.”
BLAC, Inc., Enid Public Schools, Mid-Del Schools and Oklahoma City Public Schools will host the event.  For more information, call BLAC, Inc. at (405) 524-3800.   

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BLAC Inc. presents “An Evening with Ray Charles” Soul Food Dinner Theater on April 17 in Oklahoma City

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Donna Cox opens Carol Brice Series on February 20 in Oklahoma City

Soprano vocalist Donna Cox will open Black Liberated Arts Center Inc.’s (BLAC) 2010 Carol Brice Series at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20 at the Douglass High School Auditorium, 900 N. Martin L. King in Oklahoma City, OK.  
Cox is an assistant professor of Voice at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK, where she teaches Applied Voice at the undergraduate and graduate levels. As a pedagogue, she has facilitated vocal master classes in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, North Carolina and New York.  
Cox has performed as the soprano soloist for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Salome Orchestra and conductor Ken Hakoda in Kansas with Academia Phil harmonica and Chorale.  She has performed the soprano solos in Vivaldi’s “Dixit Dominus,” Haydn’s “Lord Nelson Mass,” “Theresan Messes,” Mozart’s “Requiem,” and Mendelssohn’s “Elijah.” 
In February 2007, she performed with Dave Brubeck in his mass “To Hope” with the Canterbury Choral Society under the direction of Russell Gloyd.  As a recitalist, Cox has performed on numerous university campuses in the United States.  She has also toured extensively throughout Germany, featured in recitals focusing on Mozart opera, oratorio and Lied. 
Cox’s Feb. 20 performance will focus on three African Americans – Robert Owens, Margaret Bonds and John Carter.  Poets Owens and Bonds often compared to none other than poet Langston Hughes.  The music is quite sophisticated with its lush harmonies and unexpected contrast which is an Owens’ trait.  It is also spiritual and includes John Carter’s arrangements as well as Cox’s arrangements.   
The program is supported by the Ad Astra Foundation and the Oklahoma Arts Council.  Tickets are $10 and are on sale at Capitol Square Station, Charlie’s Jazz, Rhythm and Blues Store, KM66 and Learning Tree Toy Store in the Oklahoma City metro area.  For more information or to buy tickets, call BLAC Inc. at (405) 524-3800. 


Donna Cox – Voice from OU School of Music on Vimeo.

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African Storyteller Dylan Pritchett returns to Oklahoma City


Anita Arnold, executive director of BLAC Inc., announced today that African Storyteller Dylan Pritchett will return to Oklahoma City after a long absence to do a number of educational activities with schools and with the Pauline E. Mayer Shelter.
For 20 years, Pritchett worked in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, where he trained staff to present stories as well as interpretive and musical programs to the public. Currently, he presents storytelling programs in more than 100 elementary and secondary schools each year and leads numerous workshops for teachers. Pritchett also presents programs in museums for both children and the adult public.
The Kennedy Center trainer will present storytelling programs at Highland Park School in the Mid-Del Schools District, for 7th and 8th graders at Douglass High School and children at Pauline E. Mayer Shelter. While in the city, Pritchett will conduct teacher workshop, “Storytelling: Involving Students in African Tales.”
Arnold said, “We are always excited to have Dylan come and spend time with our teachers and children. He is, especially effective with students and has the unique ability to engage children despite their circumstances. BLAC Inc. provides this service to our community through The Kennedy Center’s Partners in Education Program that BLAC Inc. brought to Oklahoma City in 1995. BLAC Inc.’s school partners are Oklahoma City Public Schools and Mid-Del Schools.”
This program is sponsored in part by Mid-Del Schools, Oklahoma Department of Education, Oklahoma Art Council, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and BLAC Inc.

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Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC INC.) presents Ailey II in Midwest City


Ailey II (an Alvin Ailey Company) will perform at Rose State Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 18. Ailey II, one of the country’s best young dance talents, exudes spirit, energy, passion and creative vision.
Ailey II began in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, when Alvin Ailey initiated a workshop composed of the most promising scholarship students from the Ailey School. The original members of the company were handpicked by Mr. Ailey. Ailey II embodies Mr. Ailey’s pioneering mission to establish an extended cultural community that provides dance performances, training and community programs for all people. Today, Ailey II has become one of the most popular dance companies in the United States.
Anita Arnold, executive director of Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC) Inc. in Oklahoma City, said this will be the third time in 20 years that the company has performed in Oklahoma City. “We are looking forward to their usual vividly, electrifying dance performance as we open our 2009-10 season of performing arts,” Arnold said.
Tickets are on sale at the Civic Center box office, 201 N Walker Ave., Oklahoma City, and Rose State box office, located off Interstate 40 at Hudiburg Drive in Midwest City.
For more information, call BLAC, Inc. at (405) 524-3800 or the Civic Center box office at (405) 297-2264. Tickets are $50, $40, $30, and $20. Special discounts are available for seniors, students and groups. The performance is generously sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council.

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Plans under way for 2010 Charlie Christian International Music Festival


Mark Temple, board president of the Liberated Arts Center (BLAC) Inc., appointed Orville Prince as chairman of the 2010 Charlie Christian International Music Festival. The festival is scheduled to be held in early June 2010.
Soul Bowl Party in the Park kicks off the beginning a serious effort to fund a memorable experience for the 25th year of the festival.
“The idea behind the Soul Bowl Party in the Park is to give the community an opportunity to come together in a fun filled evening of hearing great music and seeing new talent as they enter into a little friendly competition in a T-Shirt contest that will benefit some high school in the area,” Prince said. “At the same time, it should be fun to see folks display their pride in their alma maters.
“I think the community is ready for this event. In fact, if we are as successful as we think, we will make it an annual event,” he concluded.
Temple indicated that in an act of strengthening the organization, several new board members will be seated in October prior to Oct. 18’s Ailey II performance at Rose State Performing Arts Center.
“We expect a big year for BLAC, Inc.,” Temple said. “In fact, it is exciting to me that so many people are coming forward asking to be involved with BLAC. It is amazing to me that in 2010, BLAC, Inc. will celebrate 40 years, the festival will celebrate 25 years, and we will celebrate 15 years of being a partner in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Partners in Education Program. There is no doubt it will be a year of celebration.”
For more information about BLAC, Inc. and its activities, call (405) 524-3800.

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Saxophonist Eldredge Jackson Featured in Soul Bowl Party in the Park


BLAC (Black Liberated Arts Center) Inc. will host Soul Bowl Party in the Park from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12. at Washington Park, located at Northeast Fourth and High Streets in Oklahoma City.
The event will feature new musical artists on the Discovery stage. Among those local talents scheduled to appear are Born in November, Lil Dezzy, Roderick Pugh and jazz vocalist Miss Muffy. Miss Muffy is the granddaughter of the late, legendary bandleader Leslie Sheffield.
“Our community has been asking over the years for BLAC, Inc. to showcase new talent, and we see this event as the perfect opportunity to introduce new faces in a relaxed setting,” Anita Arnold, executive director of BLAC Inc. said. “Washington Park is special in the hearts and minds of many in the city because of the wonderful historic significance and pleasant memories of the past.”
According to Arnold, there will be an area High School T-shirt competition. The high school that has representatives wearing most T-shirts will have a $500 donation given to the school by BLAC, Inc. The participant who wears the oldest T-shirt will have $250 donated to their school. Everyone is encouraged to wear a T-shirt that represents their high school alma mater.
The evening will end with the featured artist – Tulsa jazz saxophonist Eldredge Jackson. Picnic baskets, blankets and lawn chairs are allowed. BLAC Inc. will sell beverages during the event. No beverages of any kind are allowed in the park – particularly alcoholic beverages. The public is invited, especially alumni members of all local high schools. Event tickets are $10 and are on sale now at the following locations in Oklahoma City: Capitol Square Station, KM66, Learning Tree Toy Store, Charlie’s Jazz, Rhythm and Blues Store and at BLAC Inc. offices. For more information, call (405) 524-3800.

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Thriller Party set for Aug. 29 at Oklahoma City’s Petroleum Club


Oklahoma City’s Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC Inc.) will host a Thriller Tribute Party on Saturday, Aug. 29, in honor of the late Michael Joseph Jackson’s accomplishments in music, business, and charitable giving. The event also marks Jackson’s 51st birthday.
The Thriller Tribute Party will be held at the Petroleum Club (34th floor of the Chase building) 100 N Broadway in downtown Oklahoma City. There will be food, drinks, and music orchestrated by deejay Ron Leggins.
Ten of Michael Jackson’s most popular videos will be played at various times throughout the night. There will be a special presentation of Michael Jackson’s accomplishments – from those that made him famous through his amazing music career to facts that have been overlooked such as his great philanthropy and humanitarian efforts.
The party starts at 8:00 p.m. and ends at midnight. RSVP is preferred and due by Saturday, August 22. Admission is $25.
To make a reservation or for more information please contact BLAC, Inc. at (405)524-3800 or e-mail BLAC Inc. at blac37inc@yahoo.com.

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Tulsa saxophonist Grady Nichols joins jazz festival lineup


Tulsa saxophonist Grady Nichols returns to the 24th annual Charlie Christian International Jazz Festival at 7:30 p.m. June 6 at Stage Center, 400 W. Sheridan, in Oklahoma City. Nichols has been the opening acts for jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum and legendary guitarist George Benson. He also has shared the stage with the late Wayman Tisdale, Ray Charles, The Temptations, The Righteous Brothers, Al Green, The O’Jays, Luciano Pavarotti, Jeffrey Osborne, Ellis Marsalis, David Benoit, Stanley Turrentine, Roy Clark, Kim Waters, and many others.
Tickets to the show are $20 and are on sale now at Capitol Square Station, Charlie’s Jazz, Rhythm & Blues Store, KM66, Sage Restaurant, Learning Tree Toy Store and Black Liberated Arts Center, Inc. For more information, call (405)524-3800 or view information online at http://www.charliechristianfestival.com.
Sponsors for the festival include, BancFirst, Oklahoma Arts Council, City of Oklahoma City, Temple & Sons Funeral Directors, Fine Arts Institute of Oklahoma City University, Deep Deuce Business Association, Sage Restaurant, & H & J Management, Inc., a McDonald Franchise operation and EMSA.

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A Little Bit of Soul Food and Music


Oklahoma City’s popular 411 Band will close out Black Liberated Art Center Inc.’s (BLAC) Soul Food Dinner Theater series on Friday, April 24, 2009. 411 Band leader John Ford said, “We have played many times for BLAC, Inc., at the Charlie Christian International Music Festival and during the Presidential Inaugural Ball, but this time will be very special. We will mix it up with Old School, a little Jazz and, definitely, some blues.” The band has also performed at various Oklahoma tribal casinos. Along with the music, there is an “all you can eat” Soul Food buffet. Dinner is at 7:00 p.m., and the show starts at 8:00 p.m. on 34th floor at the Petroleum Club in downtown Oklahoma City. Tickets are $45 each. For more information, call BLAC Inc. at (405) 524-3800. This evening of entertainment is partially sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council.