Delaware Art Museum to Feature Raye Jones Avery and Adagio

Wilmington, DE – As part of its ongoing Performance Series, the Delaware Art Museum will present Wilmington’s own Raye Jones Avery and Adagio with Dennis Fortune, musical director, on Thursday, October 24 at 8:00 p.m. This jazz performance continues the celebration of the recent release of Avery’s latest CD, Between, and will include Avery on vocals, Adagio Music Director Dennis Fortune on piano, Cliff Kellum on bass, Harry Butch Reed on drums, Lynn Riley on woodwinds, and Darnell Miller on guitar and vocals.

Avery’s multi-genre influenced style brings new life to standards such as “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Where Were You” by Stevie Wonder, John Legend’s “Ordinary People,” and the Beatles’ “She’s Leaving Home.” Between also includes an original spoken word tribute to Clifford Brown.

Avery, the 2019 recipient of the Governor’s Award for the Arts, was born in Philadelphia and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, where she has made a significant impact as the longtime Executive Director of the Christina Cultural Arts Center, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting school success, career training, and positive social behavior through the arts. Between was produced by Dennis Fortune, who also produced Raye’s debut recording project Sistah Girl’s Lament. Both recording projects were independently produced. Between was recorded at Reeds Refuge Studio 505 in Wilmington.

Concert attendees will also have a chance to participate in a special art project the night of Avery’s performance. Before the show starts, a local photographer will be on hand to take individual portraits in an effort to fill the 100 empty frames in the Museum’s entryway with photographs of local residents. This project complements the Museum’s special exhibition, Posing Beauty in African American Culture. Participants will receive a digital copy of their photo and a print copy once the exhibition ends in early 2020.

Tickets are $30 for Museum Members, $35 for Non-Members, and $25 for students. Tickets can be purchased online at delart.org. Those interested in participating in the photography project can sign up on the ticket page.