Thursday, March 28, 2024

Downing-Gross hosts concert to honor late Aretha Franklin

RESPECT: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin (HNNDaily Photo/ Courtesy of Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center)
RESPECT: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin (HNNDaily Photo/ Courtesy of Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center)

NEWPORT NEWS — The Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center will have a concert to pay tribute to the late Aretha Franklin on Friday.

Franklin, the “Queen of Soul,” won 18 Grammy awards and was the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She died earlier this month from pancreatic cancer at 76.

The free concert will have performances from local artists across Hampton Roads, including a dance routine from Dreams in Motion dance studio, a live painting by local artist Gerome Meminger, singers Demitra Nikki, Minister Traci Georges, Rea Jones-Cuffee and many more.

There will also be a guest performance by Queen Esther Marrow, Newport News gospel singer and friend of Franklin’s, according to the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center announcement.

RESPECT: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin concert will be Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. at Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center, 2410 Wickham Ave.

Tickets for the event are currently sold out.

However, tickets will not guarantee entry to the concert after 8:15 p.m. so all remaining seats will be made available to anyone, with or without a ticket.

For more information, visit the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center website or call 757-247-8950.

Julia Marsigliano
Julia Marsiglianohttp://wydaily.com
Julia Marsigliano is a multimedia reporter for WYDaily. She covers everything on the Peninsula from local government and law enforcement agencies to family-run businesses and weather updates. Before WYDaily, she covered Hampton and Newport News for WYDaily’s sister publication, HNNDaily before both publications merged in December 2018. Julia was born in Tokyo, Japan and moved to Long Island, New York in 2001. A true New Yorker, she loves pizza, bagels and good Chinese food. Send comments, tips and other tidbits to julia@localvoicemedia.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @jmarsigliano

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