Opera singer Kristin Lewis to perform
The Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Foundation will host its Distinguished Laureate Lecture Series XIV featuring internationally renowned opera star Kristin Lewis at 6 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Clinton Presidential Center’s Great Hall in Little Rock. The program will be followed by a reception at Café 42.
This event is free, but registration is required at https://www.clintonfoundation.org/events.
The program will include a discussion between THV11’s Jurnee Taylor and Lewis, followed by Lewis in concert, accompanied by Linda Holzer of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, according to a news release.
“The Arkansas Black Hall of Fame is thrilled to partner with the Clinton Presidential Center to bring this extraordinary evening of music and conversation to the community,” Charles Stewart, ABHOF chairman said. “While Ms. Lewis’s career has been relatively brief, her experience is extraordinary, and we are grateful to introduce her to new audiences in her hometown.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Lewis, who was inducted into the Black Hall of Fame in 2019, is a lyrico-spinto soprano, best known and praised for her interpretations of composer Giuseppe Verdi’s operatic heroines.
A Little Rock native, she received a Master of Music from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville after earning a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Central Arkansas. Lewis has received numerous awards, including the Orazio Tosi Prize from Parma Lirica in 2012, Savonlinna Opera Festival’s Artist of the Year in 2010, and third prize from the Ferrucio Tagliavini International Singing Competition in 2005, according to the release.
In 2014, she established the Kristin Lewis Foundation Inc. to foster the development of young singers and musicians. Her humanitarian work extends to the Red Cross of Vienna, who named her Ambassador of Humanity, and Animal Care Austria, in Austria, where she lives.
Details: https://www.clintonfoundation.org/events.
Black History lessons, gifts set for elderly
Coordinator Dee Clay and local sponsors conduct a Moment in Black History each year for residents in the local nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Through Feb. 25, local volunteers will be engaging with the seniors. This year, they will also share Valentine’s Day items, according to a news release.
Presenters include Lillie Darrough, Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church Mission Department; the Rev. Sylvester Kearney, pastor of Paradise Missionary Baptist Church of Grady; the Rev. Larry Battles, pastor of Mount Nebo Missionary Baptist Church; Ivan Whitfield, president of the Pine Bluff Branch of NAACP; Dr. Martha Flowers; and Helping Hands for the Community Inc. Team members.
On Feb. 12, Smith Barber Institute, James Smith, CEO, will offer free shaving and haircuts from 10-11 a.m. at The Blossoms at White Hall Rehab & Nursing Center, according to the news release.
Residents will also engage in Black History Bingo compliments of Wilma Kindle, retired educator from Pine Bluff School District.
Other facilities in that will be visited include Trinity Village Medical Center, the Springs of Pine Bluff Nursing and Rehabilitation, Pine Bluff Transitional Care Center, and Oasis Assisted Living Facilities.
Each facility will receive a Valentine’s Day cake donated sponsors including Pine Bluff Corvette Brothers, Neely Law Firm, New Beginnings Beauty Academy, Meme’s Learning Academy, LR Buffalo Soldiers and Stephanie Willis, owner of New Beginnings Beauty Academy.
Participants will also make Valentine’s Day posters for the facilities’ hallways showing love to the seniors. Sponosrs will include Greater Battle Chapel Missionary Baptist Church Youth Department, Lampkin Chapel Baptist Church, Mount Carmel Baptist Church Youth Department, Laugh and Learn and the Boys and Girls Club.