National Black Theatre and Apollo Theater Took Over The Kennedy Center To Host A Genre-Bending Concert Featuring Visionary Artists

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After a sold-out show in Harlem’s world famous Apollo in 2022, National Black Theatre and Apollo Theater took over the Opera House at the Kennedy Center to relaunch their signature program, The Gathering.

Visionary artists

This genre-bending concert featured visionary artists Nona Hendryx, Abby Dobson, Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely w/ Special Guest Maleek Washington, Joel Thompson, Carlos Simon, Courtney Bryan, and Troy Anthony. It also included 80 members of the American Composers Orchestra conducted by Chelsea Tipton, II and 48 members of NEWorks Voices of Inspiration chorale under the leadership of Nolan Williams, Jr, and more.

The Gathering at the Kennedy Center

With creative concept and direction by National Black Theatre’s Executive Artistic Director, Jonathan McCrory, and produced by National Black Theatre and The Apollo, “The Gathering” stands as the highlight of The Kennedy Center’s week-long celebration which showcased the convergence of orchestral, choral, gospel, and soul music.

Guided by the poetic eloquence of Mahogany L. Browne, this American musical treasure served a “modern tribute to the power of art as a vehicle for liberation, social justice, and a drum beat summoning the power of possibility.”

Photo Credit: Joshua Cole

About National Black Theatre

NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE (NBT) is a Tony and Emmy Award-nominated institution founded in 1968 by the late visionary artist Dr. Barbara Ann Teer.

The nation’s first revenue-generating Black arts complex, NBT is the longest-running Black theatre in New York City, one of the oldest theatres founded and consistently operated by a woman of color in the nation, and has been included in the permanent collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

Visit nationalblacktheatre.org or follow NBT on Facebook (@NationalBlackTheatre) and Twitter/Instagram (@NatBlackTheatre).