As part of Make Music New York, a live, FREE musical celebration happening on the streets of New York City every year, Joe’s Pub presents A Juneteenth Celebration. The event features live performances by Celisse, Ché Buford and mal sounds, and the Juneteenth Legacy Project.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Celisse 4:30pm
Ché Buford and mal sounds 5:30pm
Juneteenth Legacy Project 6:30pm

Celisse is a singer, songwriter, multi- instrumentalist, performer and spoken word artist. Her deep and varied career has seen her in concert, at venues ranging from the Beacon Theater, supporting Mariah Carey, Town Hall supporting Graham Nash, Madison Square Garden supporting Kesha at the 60th annual Grammy Awards, The Greek Theater in Trey Anastasio’s Ghosts of the Forest, and the Apollo Theater with Melissa Etheridge; as well starring in the recent revival of Godspell at Circle in the Square Theater, singing in Bridget Everett’s Rock Bottom at Joe’s Pub at The Public; and appearing on television in 30 Rock, The Electric Company, Rescue Me, The Big C, the LATE SHOW with Stephen Colbert as a special guest of Jon Batiste and Stay Human and most recently playing lead guitar with LIZZO on SNL. But it’s her prodigious talents as a singer-songwriter and musician that have defined Celisse the most as an artist. Her original music, powered by her soulful voice, is hard-rocking and blues-tinged with infectious hooks that stay with you. @CelisseMusic

Ché Buford is a Violinist and Composer from Brooklyn, NY.  He is currently pursuing his BM in violin performance as a presidential scholar at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee where he studies with Rictor Noren. He started playing at the age of 10 and self-taught for three years until taking violin lessons at the Mozart Academy in NYC. He has participated in programs such as the Curtis Summerfest, Interschool Orchestras of NY, and the National Youth Orchestra 2.  He has played for violinists such as Juliette Kang, Steven Copes, Kelly Hall Tompkins and Ray Chen. He has also performed with renowned artists such as Esperanza Spalding, Simon Estes, and Giancarlo Guererro.

In his own world, Brooklyn-based act mal sounds creates a blend of bedroom pop, hip-hop, and indie music for outcasts and wild souls. With artistic origins as a fantasy writer, he transitioned to songwriting in high school as Soundcloud grew in popularity. He released his first single, “Deli Nights,” in 2018. At the core of mal’s project is the desire to contend with the unexplainable motions and flows of everyday modern life. His sound is ever-evolving across the sound spectrum, drawing upon influences ranging from Frank Ocean & Blood Orange to Tame Impala & Beach House. During a time when the world is coming apart at the seams, he’s building new spaces for listening, joy, dreaming & existing.

Juneteenth Legacy Project (Juneteenth LP)
Nnenna Ogwo, Founder and Artistic Director
Erika Banks- Alvarez, Communications Director
Eric Cooper, Production Director

Musicians
Erika Banks-Alvarez, soprano
Frédérique Gnaman, violin 
Daniel Constant, violin 
Patrick Page, viola
Eric Cooper, cello
Nnenna Ogwo, piano
With guest artist, Donnie Johns, percussion

Known for bringing exquisite tone color and expressivity to an unusual breadth of repertoire, Nnenna Ogwo has performed in Europe, the Middle East, South America, and the United States. Her artistic acumen and acute scholarship result in a profound technical command of her instrument and a mesmerizing stage presence. An American pianist of Caribbean and African descent, Ogwo began playing the piano at age six, studying at the Peabody Conservatory Preparatory and graduating with honors in piano and composition. Her studies took her from Oberlin Conservatory in OH to The Ferenc Liszt Academy in Budapest Hungary under the auspices of a Fulbright grant and finally to SUNY StonyBrook.  After 5 years of celebrating Juneteenth at Joe’s Pub with the inimitable Sterling Strings and various guest artists, she founded the Juneteenth Legacy Project (Juneteenth LP), a musical collaborative whose mission is to share the music of the African Diaspora through the unique lens of black classically trained musicians with a focus on access, outreach and community building through music. Continually pushing boundaries in their musical offerings, Juneteenth LP brings together unexpected classical music and brilliantly crafted arrangements of more popular repertoire for a refreshing take on the live music experience.