2025 Featured performers
Ramón Bryant Braxton
Conductor & Artistic Director
Maestro Ramón Bryant Braxton returns for a fourth consecutive year as the Conductor & Artistic Director for SONGS OF BLACK FOLK. A native of Tacoma, Braxton is a graduate of the iconic Morehouse College in Atlanta (BA) where he was a member of the renowned Morehouse Glee Club. He also received his graduate musical education (MM) at the Morgan Stage University in Baltimore. Braxton is an orchestra conductor, choir director, vocalist, pianist, and organist. He has led and served with the musical staffs of some of the most historic and premier African American churches in the nation including, the Abyssinia Baptist Church of Harlem, the Metropolitan Baptist Church of Washington DC, and the Ebenezer Baptist Church of Atlanta to name a few. Braxton has performed with Baltimore’s internationally acclaimed “Soulful Symphony”: a full symphony orchestra and vocalists of only elite African American and Latin X musicians. Braxton was formerly the vocal instructor at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington DC and the Assistant Director of the Howard University Choir.
Savion Glover
Tap-Dancer
Savion Glover, a Tony Award-winning choreographer, has been a defining force in dance for over four decades since making his Broadway debut at age 10. He burst into the national consciousness with his role in the 1989 film, “Tap”, where starred alongside Hollywood icons Sammy Davis Jr. and Gregory Hines. Honored with a Doctor of Fine Arts from Montclair State University, he carries forward the teachings of legends like Bojangles Robinson, Sammy Davis, Jr., Isaiah “Lon” Chaney, Gregory Hines, Charles “Honi” Coles, Chuck Green, George Hillman, and Jimmy Slyde. Being rooted in the education of sound, Glover is a global ambassador for dance. He describes his contributions by saying, “it is with proud privilege to know that dance as a form of self-expression is still in demand.”
Soloman Howard
Vocalist/Percussionist
Soloman Howard, was a featured vocalist, and crowd favorite, in SONGS OF BLACK FOLK’S first two productions in 2022 and 2023. He is a celebrated bass, who has performed on some of the world’s greatest opera stages. He has earned praise for his “sonorous” and “superhuman” voice. A graduate of Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, he has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, San Francisco Opera, and internationally in roles spanning Aida, Don Giovanni, and Das Rheingold. He has collaborated with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Howard is also recognized as one of the nation’s greatest percussionists. A recipient of the Anti-Defamation League’s “Making a Difference Award,” he continues to use his voice both on stage and in the community.
J'Nai Bridges
Vocalist
Two-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges is acclaimed for her “plush-voiced” tone (New York Times) and commanding stage presence. She has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, and with top orchestras worldwide. Bridges is a recipient of the prestigious 2018 Sphinx Medal of Excellence Award, a 2016 Richard Tucker Career Grant, first prize winner at the 2016 Francisco Viñas International Competition, first prize winner at the 2015 Gerda Lissner Competition, a recipient of the 2013 Sullivan Foundation Award, a 2012 Marian Anderson award winner, and many more. A champion for inclusion in classical music, she has led groundbreaking discussions on race in opera and was named a Kennedy Center NEXT50 cultural leader. Beyond the stage, she has collaborated with Global Citizen, Converse, and Diane Von Furstenberg.
Zebulon Ellis
Vocalist
Zebulon Ellis, a two-time Sunday Best finalist, has graced stages from arenas to the White House, sharing his voice in gospel, R&B, and theater. He starred in Tyler Perry’s Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned and served as the singing voice of C.L. Franklin in Genius: Aretha. A lifelong worship leader and music director, he uses his gift to uplift and inspire, staying true to the meaning of his name—“to give honor to”—through every song he sings.
Hill Harper
Actor/Activist
Hill Harper is an award-winning actor, best-selling author, and philanthropist, known for his roles in The Good Doctor, CSI: NY, and Homeland. A Harvard Law graduate, he has earned seven NAACP Image Awards and written four New York Times bestsellers. He founded The Manifest Your Destiny Foundation to support underserved youth and is a passionate advocate for health, education, and social justice. A successful entrepreneur, he owns businesses in coffee, hospitality, and wellness. Appointed to the President’s Cancer Panel by Barack Obama, he continues to inspire through his work on and off the screen.
Angela Russel
TV News Journalist
Angela is an award-winning TV journalist and storyteller, known for her in-depth reporting and compelling interviews. A former co-host of KING 5’s Evening News and Take 5, her career has spanned the country, earning her a National Gracie Award and a Northwest Emmy. Now expanding into film and theater, she is a Playwright in Residence at Seattle Public Theatre and a Contributing Host for KIRO News Radio. Angela lives in Seattle with her husband, Victor, and their daughters, Ava and Maya.
Choral Singers
An intergenerational Choral group of 40 gifted African American singers from the Puget Sound Community will perform under Braxton’s direction. The Choral group will combine the talents of well-known local vocalists and emerging young local vocalists. Together they form a musically versatile Choir with an extraordinarily rich and dynamic sound.
The Musicians
A 50-piece Orchestra (Conducted by Ramon Braxton) will accompany the Choir and the featured soloists. The orchestra will be comprised of musicians from the Puget Sound community. Additionally, the music will be supported by a 7-piece rhythm section that will combine the talents of local and national musicians.