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Newark Sing In!

Sunday, November 15, 2026; 2:00-5:00 PM

FREE

Feldman Middleton Community Center in Weequahic Park

Newark, NJ

Newark Sing In! is a master class for singers from the greater Newark area – an opportunity to come together, share skills, learn new ones and meet new people who are equally enthusiastic about singing.

Newark Sing In! is open to men and women 18+ of all cultural backgrounds and various performance levels. Classical, R&B and popular music styles -- with emphasis on jazz -- will be discussed and performed. Singers from Five Women Performance Ensemble will be on hand to demonstrate and guide participants in group singing, harmonizing and solo performance. Gail Lou, Musical Director. Light refreshments and piano accompaniment included. FREE

We Lift Up Their Voices!

5 Women Salute 11 Women Newark Women Singers

A Women’s History Month Celebration

March 2027

We Lift Up Their Voices! is a tribute in verse and song to Newark’s renowned female singers: Tisha Campbell, Faith Evans, Connie Frances, Gloria Gaynor, Cissy and Whitney Houston, Queen Latifah, Melba Moore, Sarah Vaughan; and lesser known Newark singers Linda Jones and Salome Bey who went on to become very famous in Toronto..

The program is a multi-media presentation combining music, narration and a slide presentation featuring historic and contemporary photographs of the featured artists with accompanying narration highlighting their lives and careers.

I DREAM A WORLD

I Dream a World: Song & Verse to Inspire a Nation features inspirational songs, poetry and verse that tell a story of the country we would like America to be. The program touches on important moments and markers from the 19th, 20th & 21st centuries -- from enslavement and the Emancipation Proclamation, through Reconstruction, the Jim Crow Era, the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter to the 2024 Presidential election. It includes thought-provoking text and powerful and moving songs from such artists as Laura Nyro, Dr. Bernice Reagon (Sweet Honey in the Rock), James Brown, Donny Hathaway, Beyonce, Stevie Wonder and music from the West Side Story, Selma and Harriet soundtracks.

IDAW is a multi media presentation with live narration, photos and historic film footage, music and dance. Five Women, backed by a four-piece band are the centerpiece of the program with guest artists as the budget permits. This program was developed in recognition of the nation's 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence (Semiquincentennial).

About Five Women Performance Ensemble

Five Women Performance Ensemble is a Newark-based collective of women vocalists who are dedicated to the performing arts. We work with a rotation of performers based on availability, each of them extremely talented.

In April 2015, five performing artists came together to present an event in celebration of National Poetry Month at the request of the pastor of Focus on Jesus Baptist Church in the South Ward of Newark, NJ. We went on to develop programs and performed at such venues as The Newark Public Library, the Jersey City Free Public Library and Newark Symphony Hall. Performing under the name Five Women, the group presents the works of known and lesser-known women poets, writers, songwriters and playwrights, incorporating poetry, recitations and various genres of music.

FUNDING

Support for our programs has been provided by the City of Newark (Creative Catalyst Fund) , Councilman Patrick O. Council, NJPAC through their North To Shore Festival and the Newark Alliance’s Experience Newark Event Sponsorship Program.

Please note that Celeste Bateman & Assocs. IS NOT a not-for-profit organization. Your donation IS NOT tax deductible, however, donors who contribute $100 or more, will be listed in all publications unless othewise requested.

CB&A PROGRAMMING HISTORY

Many of you, our funders, contributors and audience members, have been with us for many years. You know that we strive to present a quality product -- from our award-winning documentaries: STRONGER THAN STEEL: The Senator Wynona Lipman Story and GONE TOO SOON: The Life, Legacy & Loss of Newark's Cultural Icons, to the many cultural and arts-centered programs and events my company has produced over the years. We are looking forward to presenting quality performances in 2027 and beyond.

A Celeste Bateman & Assocs., LLC

Presenters/Hosts/Donors Wanted

Photo Credits: Jamil A.C. Mangan (Images by Jamil), Josh Passaretti, Christa Syreeta and the late A. Risasi Dais