The 10TH Anniversary of a Soulful Christmas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (November 1, 2023) – The Kimmel Cultural Campus presents the return of its annual holiday tradition, A Soulful Christmas, led by Creator and Director, Dr. J. Donald Dumpson, inside Verizon Hall on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.

A Soulful Christmas brings together some of the area’s finest church and community choirs for a night of soul-stirring music, spoken words, and movement. Creator and Director Dr. J. Donald Dumpson returns to lead the inspiring, uplifting gathering of regional choristers and clergy, sharing holiday spirituals, gospel favorites, and inspirational messages of good-will. The program culminates in a spectacular closing to the evening with a visually mesmerizing “Finale of Lights.” This year, the event is held in honor of Dr. J. Donald Dumpson, Creator and Director, for 50 years in music ministry. 

“Each year, the harmonious sounds of hundreds of voices from community ensembles fill Verizon Hall to usher in the holiday season,” said Matías Tarnopolsky, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center. “This December, we have much to celebrate. Our tenth A Soulful Christmas performance marks a decade of promoting the power of music and its ability to unite us all, and we will recognize event creator and director Dr. J. Donald Dumpson on 50 incredible years of music ministry.”

Participating choirs include African Methodist Episcopal Church Mass Choir, Arch Street Presbyterian Church, Deliverance Evangelistic Church, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, Gospel Music Preservation Alliance, Mount Carmel Baptist Church, PA Commonwealth C.O.G.I.C. Mass Choir, Philadelphia Catholic Gospel Mass Choir, Philadelphia Heritage Chorale, and the A Soulful Christmas Youth Mass Choir.

Citywide Praise Dancers and Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble will electrify the audience with movement and sounds borne of the African diaspora. Austin Woodlin is the evening’s music director, with Evelyn Simpson Curenton on the Fred J. Cooper Memorial pipe organ and Brian LeNair Williams on saxophone.

Donald Dumpson is the President of Diverse Arts Solutions, Minister of Music and Arts at Arch Street Presbyterian Church, and the founder of Philadelphia Heritage Chorale. He has served with the faculties at various places like Westminster Choir College of Rider University, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia’s School District High School for Creative and Performing Arts. In 2018, Dr. Dumpson was the Artistic and Music Director for “The Gospel Roots of Rock and Soul” sponsored by the Pew Foundation. He was also the chorus master of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s premiere of Healing Tones by Hannibal Lokumbe with Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin as the conductor.

A Soulful Christmas 2023 will be hosted by Patty Jackson (WDAS 105.3 FM) and Craig Hayes (WIMG, 1300 Trenton, NJ).

Each year, A Soulful Christmas honors a musical legend, and the 2023 honoree is Carol Antrom. Christan, Servant of The Lord Jesus Christ, Gospel Songwriter, Church Musician, Choir Director, Singer, and Elementary School Teacher. These are some of the many facets, the many aspects, the many dimensions of Carol Diane Antrom. Read the full bio here.

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A Soulful Christmas is generously sponsored by PECO.

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Selections across Kimmel Cultural Campus holiday offerings include: Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (November 24 – 26, 2023, Verizon Hall); Matt Rogers: Have You Heard of Christmas? Album Tour (December 1, 2023, Miller Theater); A Very Philly Christmas (Nine shows, including December 1, 2, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, and 23, 2023, Verizon Hall); The Glorious Sound of Christmas^® (December 14 – 16, 2023, Verizon Hall); Children’s Holiday Spectacular (December 16, 2023, Verizon Hall); Messiah (December 20 – 21, 2023, Verizon Hall); Samara Joy: A Joyful Holiday featuring The McLendon Family (December 22, 2023, Miller Theater); Elf™ in Concert (December 22 – 23, 2023, Verizon Hall); Cirque Dreams Holidaze (December 26 – 31, 2023, Miller Theater); New Year’s Eve Celebration (December 31, 2023, Verizon Hall); and Lunar New Year (January 12, 2024, Verizon Hall).

Tickets

Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org. In-person ticket sales can be conducted daily from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. at the Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S. Broad Street. See www.kimmelculturalcampus.org for more information.

A Soulful Christmas

Verizon Hall on the Kimmel Cultural Campus

December 12, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.

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KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS

Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, our mission is to engage the region's diverse communities with art through performance and education. Our Cultural Campus serves more than 1-million guests per year and includes Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, and SEI Innovation Studio), the Academy of Music, and the Miller Theater (formerly the Merriam Theater) – representing more than 160 years of rich history for the performing arts along Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts. We are home to The Philadelphia Orchestra and esteemed Resident Companies: Opera Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, we are the region's most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. Our Cultural Campus serves as a preeminent and inclusive place to enjoy exceptional experiences that reflect the spirit of our region by cultivating a creative and socially responsible environment where our community shares experiences that are delivered with pride, integrity, and respect. As a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization, we collaborate on, present, and produce a broad range of relevant and meaningful events, we serve as an active gathering space for social and community events, we educate the region's young people through access to quality arts experiences, and we provide support to artists in the creation of new work. Read Kimmel Cultural Campus' vision statement, world view, and mission statement here. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and how it encompasses our mission, coworkers, and programs here.

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For photography, please visit https://kcccpress.smugmug.com