BLACK HISTORY MONTH TRIBUTE:
Joséphine Baker
featuring
Yvette Spears
SOLD OUT
Produced by Cliftine Jones, Governor,
Chair of the Special Programs Committee
Thursday, February 5, 2025, 6:00 pm
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Members $60 - Non-Members $69
Price includes a reception with hors d'oeuvres and full bar
Yvette Spears
With a voice that carries the soul of New Orleans, and the sophistication of a modern cabaret griot, Yvette Spears-jazz vocalist, cultural envoy, and dynamic performing artist whose work interlaces music, memory, and liberation is known for her commanding narrations, her jazz-infused storytelling, and her historical productions that reimagine history through sound. Her newest offering, Chantez Les Bas Joséphine: L’Esprit Joséphine, at the Arts Club of Washington -is a Black History tribute that lifts the veil on Josephine Baker beyond the feathers and the stage lights—revealing the woman who fought fascism, challenged segregation, and used her celebrity as a force for human dignity. Drawing from Baker’s performances of her latter years including a thriumphant performance at Carnegie Hall, and interweaving narrated vignettes, Yvette Spears transforms the stage into a portal where music becomes memory, and memory becomes activism. This presentation is both homage and awakening, honoring a legacy that continues to inspire courage, artistry, and the advocate heartbeat of Josephine’s spirit.
6:00 p.m. Doors open
7:00 p.m. Performance
8:00 p.m. Reception with the artists
Dress code: business casual
Free parking for Arts Club members at the 2001 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. garage.
This project is supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
