Charleston Gaillard Center Releases Raising the Volume Episodes XI-XIII

FOR RELEASE TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021 MEDIA CONTACTS: Marcus Amaker Artist-in-Residence mamaker@gaillardcenter.org Charlton Singleton Artist-in-Residence Emeritus csingleton@gaillardcenter.org GAILLARD CENTER SOCIAL MEDIA: @gaillardcenter @gaillardcenter facebook.com/thegaillardcenter

Charleston Gaillard Center Releases Raising the Volume Episodes XI-XIII March 2, 2021 – Charleston, SC – Today the Charleston Gaillard Center released three new episodes and lesson plans as part of the Raising the Volume series.

Featuring conversations on music, race, art, activism, and more, the series is curated by Artists-in-Residence, Marcus Amaker and Charlton Singleton. In Raising the Volume, Charleston’s Poet Laureate Amaker and Grammy Award winner Singleton explore issues through open, honest dialogue. Each conversation includes an in-depth conversation with local Black leaders, educators, business owners, and artists.

The following episodes and lesson plans were released today: Episode XI - Kellen Gray examines classical conducting.

Topics include his journey as a Black conductor and diversity in classical music.

Episode XII - Marcus Amaker and Charlton Singleton talk about music, joy, and memory.

Topics include the influences of specific artists on their personal and professional lives.

Episode XIII - Regina Duggins discusses her role as a mentor, teacher, and community leader.

Topics include her leadership of Charleston Black Pride and her fight for those who do not have a voice.

Each video is accompanied by a lesson plan for both middle and high school students. The Gaillard Center’s on-staff educator, Sterling deVries, will facilitate cross-school virtual meetings for students in different areas to discuss the content of the interviews. Thirteen lesson plans are available now at gaillardcenter.org.

The lesson plans highlight the following interdisciplinary themes: global awareness; civic literacy; working creatively with others.

Watch the episodes and download the plans here. All videos and lesson plans are available for free as part of the Gaillard Center’s Education and Community Program.

Previously released episodes include: Episode I - A conversation on music, racism, art, activism, and more with Marcus Amaker & Charlton Singleton.

Episode II - A conversation on Charleston activism, past and present with former Municipal Court Judge for the City of Charleston for 33 years, Judge Arthur McFarland.

Episode III - A conversation on awareness and action with the Executive Director of YWCA, LaVanda Brown.

Episode IV - A conversation on growing up in Charleston and life as a journalist and author with Herb Frazier.

Episode V - A conversation on arts management with Dr. Karen Chandler.

Episode VI - A conversation on The Jazz Initiative and Jenkins Orphanage Band with Dr. Karen Chandler.

Episode VII - A conversation on his life and the health of our Black community with Dr. Thaddeus J. Bell.

Episode VIII - A conversation on entrepreneurship with Andrea Davis.

Episode IX - A conversation on finding your voice with Dr. Kylon Jerome Middleton.

Episode X - A conversation on music and life with The War And Treaty.

Additional episodes and lesson plans will be released soon.

Funding for this program is provided in part by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Charleston Water System, Puffin Foundation West, Ltd., and TD Charitable Foundation.

ABOUT MARCUS AMAKER Marcus Amaker was named Charleston, SC’s first Poet Laureate in 2016. He’s also the award-winning graphic designer of a national music journal, an accomplished electronic musician, and a mentor to hundreds of students.

His poetry has been presented by The Kennedy Center, and has appeared in Departures magazine, Chicago Tribune, PBS Newshour, and several other publications. In 2019, he won a Governor’s Arts award in South Carolina.

His poetry has been studied in classrooms and has been interpreted for ballet, jazz, modern dance, opera and theater. Marcus has recorded three albums with Grammy Award winning drummer and producer Quentin E. Baxter of Ranky Tanky.

His latest book is The Birth of All Things, from Free Verse Press. He’s currently the Gaillard Center’s artist-in-residence.

MUSIC tapeloop.bandcamp.com NEW BOOK, VINYL AND MORE newpoetrybook.com WEBSITE marcusamaker.com ABOUT CHARLTON SINGLETON A native of Awendaw, SC, Charlton Singleton began his musical studies at the age of three on the piano. He would then go on to study the organ, violin, cello, and the

trumpet throughout elementary, middle and high school. In 1994, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from South Carolina State University. Since that time, he has taught music at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, as well as being an adjunct faculty member at the College of Charleston. In 2008 he co-founded and became the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra; an 18 piece jazz ensemble of some of the finest professional musicians in the Southeast and the resident big band in Charleston, SC. Mr. Singleton is also the organist and choir director at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Charleston, SC. In November of 2016 he was named the inaugural Artist in Residence at the recently renovated Gaillard Center in downtown Charleston. He remained in this position until July 2019; at that point he was named Artist in Residence Emeritus. In this position he continues to lead the Summer Youth Jazz Orchestra Camp as well as lead the “Jazz Through the Ages” assembly, which attracts a capacity crowd of students at the Gaillard Center.

As a performer, Charlton leads his own ensembles that vary in size and style. He has performed in France, Great Britain, Scotland, Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Canada, The Netherlands, as well as many great cities throughout the United States. He is a founding member of a new ensemble called Ranky Tanky. The group is a quintet that interprets the sounds of Gullah from the Southeast Coast of the United States. In 2017 Ranky Tanky reached the top of the Billboard, iTunes, and Amazon Contemporary Jazz charts with their self-titled debut recording. In 2019 they accomplished the same feat with the release of their sophomore effort, “Good Time”, which recently won the 2020 Grammy Award for “Best Regional Roots Music Album”.

In addition to performing, he is in demand as a speaker, clinician, composer, and arranger. He has also shared the stage with and/or worked with some of most talented entertainers in the world, including Bobby McFerrin, Jimmy Heath, Slide Hampton, Houston Person, Darius Rucker, Fred Wesley, and Cyrus Chestnut to name a few. Outside of music and entertainment, he and his wife, MaryJo, are the proud parents of Shalamar and D’Marcus, as well as their pets...Sassy, Jango, Mojo, Kota Bear, Pumpkin, and Ginger.

WEBSITE charltonsingleton.com INSTAGRAM @csmusician FACEBOOK @charltonpsingleton

ABOUT STERLING DEVRIES Sterling deVries, the Director of Education at the Charleston Gaillard Center, is dedicated to supporting the educational community through the arts. Following fifteen years as a classroom teacher, deVries builds on the knowledge that arts are an integral part of classroom content. Her Master’s degree in Arts in Education changed her approach to teaching and resulted in a student-centered, arts-enhanced method of content mastery.

ABOUT KELLEN GRAY Kellen Gray has earned a reputation as a versatile and imaginative conductor through his enthusiasm for traditional, experimental, and integrative multimedia art programs. Presently, he serves as Assistant Conductor at the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.

Before his Charleston appointment, Kellen was a Project Inclusion Freeman Conducting Fellow, and later, Assistant Conductor at Chicago Sinfonietta, under Music Director, Mei-Ann Chen. Before leaving Chicago, Kellen made his Chicago Symphony Center debut, which Chicago’s Picture This Post described him as having, “...laser-like focus that allowed the entire orchestra to seem to become one organism.” The Classical Voice of North Carolina referred to Kellen’s gestures as “... so smooth and polished they’re almost choreography.”

From 2014-16, Kellen was Assistant Conductor at the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra under Music Director, Howard Hsu; and one of eight Conducting Fellows selected to study at Eastern Music Festival, under Gerard Schwarz, Grant Cooper, and Jose-Luis Novo.

At the 2018 League of American Orchestras conference, Kellen was a discussion panelist on the value of leadership pipelines in classical music based on diversity, inclusion, and equity. At a 2017 festival celebrating the 100th birthday of Georgia-born author, Carson McCullers, he was awarded the honor of guest-conducting a collaboration of the music of David Diamond and the premiere of Karen Allen’s debut film, “A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud.”

Kellen’s recent and upcoming conducting endeavors include the Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Charlotte Ballet, Chicago Sinfonietta, Chicago Philharmonic, Northwest Florida Symphony, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Symphony, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

WEBSITE kellengray.com INSTAGRAM @kellengrayconductor ABOUT REGINA DUGGINS As the youngest of 6 children, Regina Duggins hails from the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, NY. In 2010, Regina moved to Charleston, SC in search of an opportunity for change. Born to Rosemary Duggins and the late Sampson Haynes Sr. (murdered when Regina was age 3); her parents hail from St. George, SC. On April 30, 1977, Regina was born. Regina began her love and passion for helping youth at the age of 12 due to being a two-time survivor of childhood sexual abuse. While attending her NYC Public school Regina started in her living room; her first Hip Hop & Reggae dance group called “New York Styles” which throughout her teen years was her most prized possession. Regina graduated 6 months early from high school in her senior year. Regina then went onto receiving her undergraduate degree - An associate’s in Child Studies and a dual Bachelor's Degree in Program Administration/Early Childhood Education from Cazenovia College in NY. Her Masters of Science Degree in Special Education and a Doctoral Degree in Program Administration with an emphasis in K-12 learning. Currently, Regina is a CCSD Reading Interventionist employee working closely with the Special Education Dept of Military Magnet Academy. Regina is also a District 20 Constituent School Board member. She is also the founder of a girl’s mentoring program called “Black Magic Girls” as well as the founder of Charleston Black Pride (LGBTQ organization for people of color), former League of Women’s Education Director, Graduate of Charleston Rise Cohort 2 parent advocacy group, self-published author/poet of two poetry books entitled “Black Magic” & “Black Coffee; No Sugar, No Cream!” and a fiction book entitled, “New York Styles, What Time Is It?” Regina has performed in several local events including plays and poetry readings for the MOJA arts festival.

Regina is the 2019 award recipient of the Spotlight awards for servant leader in honor of the Emanuel 9 “Ethel Lance Award.” As well as the 2019 ACHI magazine award winner for “Volunteer of the Year.” The winner of the 2020 Harvey-Whitlock-Benett Women’s History Month Missionary Service award. Regina is the loving mother/aunt of 5 of her nieces & nephews: Regina Jr., Sampson, Daquin, Latavia, & Lyasia as well as the grandmother of her precious princess “Joy.” Regina’s favorite quote amongst several is “I was sick and tired of being sick and tired!” by Fannie Lou Hamer as well as the belief that she is “the voice of those who feel voiceless.”

BOOK New York Styles, "What Time Is It?" $18 BOOK Black Magic $13 BOOK Black Coffee; No Sugar, No Cream $15 *Autographed copies: Cashapp $reginaduggins77 or PayPal reginaduggins77 & $5.00 shipping fee WEBSITE charlestonblackpride.org FACEBOOK @gina.mocha ABOUT THE CHARLESTON GAILLARD CENTER The Charleston Gaillard Center is a 501c3 nonprofit performing arts organization in Charleston, South Carolina, committed to enriching lives through unforgettable experiences. Throughout the year, we provide exceptional programming and vibrant educational opportunities for the community.

Please consider a contribution as we continue to find innovative ways to connect, inspire and entertain. Donate to support the arts in your community. You can learn more about our educational resources and programming at gaillardcenter.org. ###