Culture

Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones #blackhistorymonth

Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones, known as Sissieretta Jones, was an African-American soprano. She sometimes was called “The Black Patti” in reference to Italian opera singer Adelina Patti. Jones’ repertoire included grand opera, light opera, and popular music.

Published

13 years ago

February 11, 2011

Unheard Voices Staff

Sissieretta

January 5, 1868 or 1869 – June 24, 1933
Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones, known as Sissieretta Jones, was an African American soprano. She sometimes was called “The Black Patti” in reference to Italian opera singer Adelina Patti. Jones’ repertoire included grand opera, light opera, and popular music.

About Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones

Matilda Sissieretta Joyner was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, United States, to Jeremiah Malachi Joyner, an African Methodist Episcopal minister, and Henrietta Beale. By 1876 her family moved to Providence, Rhode Island, where she began singing at an early age in her father’s Pond Street Baptist Church.

In 1883 Joyner began the formal study of music at the Providence Academy of Music. In the late 1880s, Jones was accepted at the New England Conservatory of Music. In 1887, she performed at Boston’s Music Hall before an audience of 5,000.

In February 1892, Jones performed at the White House for President Benjamin Harrison. She eventually sang for four consecutive presidents — Harrison, Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt — and the British royal family.

Sissieretta Joyner Jones became the first Black American to sing at the Music Hall in New York (renamed Carnegie Hall the following year) in June of 1892. Among the selections in her program were Charles Gounod’s “Ave Maria” and Giuseppe Verdi’s “Sempre libera” (from La traviata).

The New York Echo wrote of her performance at the Music Hall: “If Mme Jones is not the equal of Adelina Patti, she at least can come nearer it than anything the American public has heard. Her notes are as clear as a mockingbird’s and her annunciation perfect.”

Due to racial inequalities, many of the venues Jones performed at, family and friends could not attend. In response, Jones started her own company performing her own skits, music, dancing, comedy, and aerobics. She toured the country for almost 20 years at white and black venues.

After success as an opera singer, Jones retired from performing in 1915. She devoted the remainder of her life to her church and to caring for her mother.

Jones was forced to sell most of her property to survive.She died penniless on June 24, 1933.

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Black Excellence

Inside the 17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood® Awards

Hosted by Clifford “Method Man” Smith, the star studded event premiered March 15, exclusively on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

Published

1 month ago

March 20, 2024

Unheard Voices Staff

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 07: (L-R) Danielle Brooks, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and Kathryn Busby attend the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

Get a look inside the 17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards.

Hosted by Clifford “Method Man” Smith, the star studded event premiered March 15, exclusively on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

Table of Contents

About ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards

The ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood honors women who are making their undeniable mark in film and television and amplifies their strides in defining what it means to be a Black woman in Hollywood.

Honorees

This year’s honorees and entertainment industry trailblazers include Academy Award nominated actress & Grammy Award winner, Danielle Brooks, six-time Grammy nominated singer and leading-actress Halle Bailey, acclaimed screenwriter and showrunner of All American, All American: Homecoming and Found, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and industry powerhouse & President of Original Programming for STARZ, Kathryn Busby.

Check out some photo highlights inside the 17th ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards

: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Shavone Charles attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Loni Love attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Halle Bailey attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Halle Bailey attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Nkechi Okoro Carroll attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Danielle Brooks attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: (L-R) Danielle Brooks, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and Kathryn Busby attend the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Host Method Man speaks onstage during the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: (L-R) Joey Badass, Gail Bean, Patina Miller, Kathryn Busby, Brandee Evans, Da’Vinchi and Shannon Thornton onstage during the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Patina Miller attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Tamera Mowry attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Boris Kodjoe attends the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

For more, please visit http://www.essence.com/bwih2024

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Culture

U.S. Virgin Islands Announces the Performance Line-up for St. Thomas Carnival Village Featuring Shaggy, Sizzla, Patrice Roberts, and Machel Montano

The Village will be headlined by Caribbean superstars Shaggy, Patrice Roberts, Sizzla Kalonji, Kes, and Machel Montano, who will kick off the six-night free Village concerts on Monday, April 29.

Published

2 months ago

March 13, 2024

Unheard Voices Staff

The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism and Division of Festivals has announced the performance line-up for the 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village.

Table of Contents

72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village

The Village will be headlined by Caribbean superstars Shaggy, Patrice Roberts, Sizzla Kalonji, Kes, and Machel Montano, who will kick off the six-night free Village concerts on Monday, April 29.

“The anticipation around this year’s St. Thomas Carnival is at an all-time high, and the Village night performers reflect the continued influence and growth of our territory’s three carnivals,” exclaims USVI Department of Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte.

Center Stage

Adam O, Rudy Live, Temisha, Karnage, Blind Earz, VIO International, and Spectrum Band are among the performers who will take center stage to represent the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“Every year, our goal is to pay homage to the vast Virgin Islands and Caribbean culture that is at the cornerstone of these annual celebrations for natives and visitors alike,” added USVI Division of Festivals Director Ian Turnbull.

Haitian kompa band VAYB and Dominican salsa orchestra Chiquito Team Band will provide a cross-cultural immersion of sound, highlighting the diverse musical interests of Virgin Islands residents.

First-time performers

Rounding out the village are a few first-time performers in the territory, including TeeJay, Jada Kingdom, and Kollision Band, and returning favorites Edwin Yearwood and Krosfyah, and Grandmasters.

Kids Night Out Village Night

This year, the Division of Festivals will host its first Kids Night Out Village Night, with activities including the Toddlers Derby, Best Dressed Doll, and performances by TMK and OTB.

More information on 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village

For up-to-date information about the 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival, visit https://www.instagram.com/usvifestivals/.

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Culture

Online romances get a dose of reality in OWN’S all-new love & relationship series ‘The Never Ever Mets’

Published

2 months ago

March 11, 2024

Unheard Voices Staff

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has announced an all-new relationship series that takes online dating into the real world, The Never Ever Mets.

Table of Contents

About The Never Ever Mets Series

Hosted by Ta’Rhonda Jones, this 10-episode series features seven couples who have been virtually dating for some time and believe they may have found lasting love – only they have never met each other in person! Now, they’re meeting face-to-face for the very first time and sharing a house together for three weeks to see if their internet love can survive off the screen and in real life.

Synopsis

As all seven couples convene under the same roof, dating in person rather than through their computers or phones quickly proves to be the biggest challenge yet.

While many couples have been years in the making, some quickly find the in-person relationship is not what they anticipated.

To test the strength of their love connections, the group participates in a series of fun and flirty relationship activities, couples therapy and for some, a trip to the “boom boom room.” But visits from discerning loved ones, meddling opinions and tension from others in the house challenge their bonds even further. At the end of their stay, some will go home together…and some will be signing off for good.

Premiere

The series premieres on Friday, April 19 at 8pm ET/PT, on the OWN Network.

Check out the trailer below:

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