Following their show-stopping performance of “Stand By Me” at the Royal Wedding in May 2018, London’s The Kingdom Choir is bringing their infectious joy and inspiration across the Atlantic for a major North American tour in Autumn 2019, with a one-night-only event on Thursday, October 15, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. in the James K. Polk Theater of Nashville’s Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC). Tickets star at only $35.
Founded in 1994 by award-winning conductor Karen Gibson, the choir draws from various Christian traditions and is dedicated to creating a sound that reflects the community they share through their warm energy and enthusiastic performances. The Choir’s rendition of “Stand By Me” went straight to the top of the Billboard charts and in November they will be releasing their first full length album worldwide on Sony Music. Their success at the Royal Wedding has already seen them on several UK and American television appearances including ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS This Morning.
Karen Gibson, an award-winning choir conductor and workshop leader, is a powerhouse of inspiration and energy. Known for the high quality of her work, Karen’s experience is extensive. She has been involved with vocal groups and choirs for over 25 years, conducting gospel workshops across the UK and Europe as well as Nigeria, Japan, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and the USA. She has been instrumental in drawing together and conducting some of the most prestigious large-scale choirs for a variety of gospel and community initiatives. Karen has also run workshops for aspiring gospel conductors in the UK, Poland, Norway and Italy.
Also on Thursday, October 15, 2019, in Andrew Jackson Hall of TPAC, The Broadway Series run of Once on This Island begins, running through Sunday, October 20. Once on This Island is a one-act musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Based on the 1985 novel My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl by Rosa Guy, it is set in the French Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. It concerns a peasant girl on a tropical island, who uses the power of love to bring together people of different social classes.
The original Broadway production ran from 1990 to 1991, and the West End production opened in 1994, where it won the 1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical. The musical was revived on Broadway in a production that opened on December 3, 2017 at the Circle in the Square Theatre and went on to win the 2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. The play is recommended for ages 5 and up.
“What a delight it is to enter the world of Once on This Island!” raves The New York Times. Winner of the 2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, Once on This Island is the sweeping, universal tale of Ti Moune, a fearless peasant girl in search of her place in the world, and ready to risk it all for love. Guided by the mighty island gods, Ti Moune sets out on a remarkable journey to reunite with the man who has captured her heart. With a score that bursts with life, Once on This Island is a timeless testament to theater’s unlimited possibilities.
