Soulful Celebration is Downing-Gross' annual holiday concert. This year Svetlana and band will be joined by Ned Harris to celebrate the holiday season in the Ella Fitzgerald Theater.
About the artists:
Svetlana is an award-winning and chart-topping vocalist, bandleader, songwriter, and educator. Blending swing, straight-ahead jazz and original material, she forges deep connections with audiences through her charismatic vocals and profound connection with her band and audiences. Svetlana has toured in the US and internationally, headlining hundreds of sold out shows in premier clubs, theaters, and festivals. To date, she has recorded three critically acclaimed albums, including a No. 1 US Traditional Jazz Billboard Album (Night at the Movies, 2019, Independent). Svetlana is the recipient of awards from SouthArts, Chamber Music America, and New Music USA.
Ned Harris:
Born in Albany, Georgia and residing in Hampton, Virginia, Ned Harris began singing at the age of 5, joined his church choir at the age of 11, and began performing with his community theater before he was old enough to vote or drink legally. Influenced by the Motown music that his parents kept in rotation during car rides around Albany, Ned fell in love with the era, and is still influenced by the Motown sound to this day.
As a former member of Kustom Made and the 1960s quartet group, The Unifics, Ned prides himself in sticking to the foundation of what the forefathers of R&B and Soul music have built over the years. With every track that he puts his name on, Ned makes a conscious effort to create quality music that is inspired by greats like Prince, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye.
Ned has performed at the The Hampton Jazz Festival and the Virginia Beach FunkFest and has opened up for legendary acts like: Zapp, Dennis Edwards, George Clinton, The Brides of Funkenstine, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Fantasia, Gregory Porter, Jasmine Sullivan, and Charlie Wilson, just to name a few. He is just released his first solo album Gallery of Life on April 29, 2023