Report To The Community 2021

Verdine White
taking the
stage
Artists celebrate
the return to
in-person
performances
at NJPAC
“It’s so great to be
around our family,
which is all our friends
in that audience!”
— Verdine White, Earth Wind & Fire
We asked some of our favorite performers how they felt to
be back on stage at the Arts Center, or in NJPAC productions.
In short: They’re thrilled to see their audiences again!
“To be able to perform on the
NJPAC stage following the
darkest clouds of COVID
provided a joy so desperately
needed. The warmth,
appreciation and support
of NJPAC audiences is
something I always look
forward to. I am so fortunate
and grateful I was able
to celebrate at NJPAC the
beginning of my return
from the arduous journey
we’ve all been on.”
— Dianne Reeves
“The last two years, it’s
been kind of tough for live
entertainment. We’re just
so happy to be back on
stage, doing what we do —
bringing a lot of smiles!”
— Philip Bailey,
Earth Wind & Fire
“NJPAC is one of my favorite
venues in the country. Getting
to return to that great stage
with my friend Tierney Sutton,
after such a long drought, was
an emotional and beautiful
experience. I never stopped
singing during the pandemic,
but to have the electrifying
chemistry of a great and
grateful audience there gave
so much joy to my heart
and deepened our music.”
— Ann Hampton Callaway
“Being back on that stage
means so much to me.
Feeling the energy of the
audience is something that
cannot be replaced…And
especially being back at
NJPAC is something I have
been looking forward to.
There is something special
about this venue and this
audience that really fills
my heart with joy.”
— Gilberto Santa Rosa
“The Movement Revisited
was my first time performing
live on stage at NJPAC
[after the pandemic], and it
felt marvelous, absolutely
marvelous. Everyone was
on the verge of tears — we
were so happy to see each
other again backstage, and
to be able to perform that
piece specifically. I haven’t
performed it live since 2015,
and it’s a big piece with a
lot of moving parts. To be
able to bring that piece out
and perform it at NJPAC was
the most blissful feeling….”
— Christian McBride,
NJPAC Jazz Adviser
For more on The Movement
Revisited, please see page 21!
“Being back on tour [with
NJPAC’s The Hip Hop
Nutcracker] is the ultimate
blessing, after receiving a
heart transplant less than
a year ago. The Hip Hop
Nutcracker is all about
spreading love during the
holiday season and we need
that now more than ever.”
— Kurtis Blow,
NJPAC Hip Hop Advisor
Dianne Reeves
Philip Bailey
Ann Hampton Callaway
Gilberto Santa Rosa
Christian McBride
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njpac.org
Kurtis Blow