Lift Every Voice 2027: Free MLK Day Singer Showcase (Castro Theatre)

San Francisco International Arts Festival presents Lift Every Voice: A Singer Showcase, a free MLK Day concert at the Castro Theatre celebrating Black music traditions including gospel, blues and jazz. The program features the Dee Spencer Trio, guest vocalist and MC Clairdee, and 17 community singers, with bassist Jewell McMillon and drummer Ruthie Price.

Original Event Description:

SFIAF Celebrates the MLK Bank Holiday with
Lift Every Voice: A Singer Showcase
at The Castro Theatre

Featuring The Dee Spencer Trio with Clairdee and 17 Community Singers

Calendar Editors Please Note
Who: Dee Spencer Trio, Clairdee & Community Singers
What: Lift Every Voice: A Singer Showcase
Where: Castro Theatre
429 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114
Date:Monday January 18, 7:00pm
Tickets: FREE
Box Office and Information: https://www.sfiaf.org/2027_lift_every_voice or 415-399-9554

San Francisco: San Francisco International Arts Festival (SFIAF) is pleased to announce the 2027 rendition of Lift Every Voice: A Singer Showcase. This free to the public concert celebrates the Martin Luther King, Jr. Bank Holiday with Black music rooted in traditions such as gospel, blues and jazz. The program is designed to provide opportunities for members of the community to engage with professional singers and musicians in the exploration of Black/African American music. Featuring the Dee Spencer Trio (led by Dr. Dee) with special guest vocalist and MC, Clairdee and 17 soloist community singers.

Dee Spencer said, “We hope the concerts will inject audiences and participants with a renewed sense of cultural pride and respect for the contributions of historical individuals who have composed and/or performed Black/African American music throughout the ages,”

This year’s event will take place at the historic Castro Theatre, the 1,200-seat landmark known for its storied history and ornate architecture. The move follows filled-to-capacity performances at SFJAZZ in 2025. The larger venue will give more audience members the chance to witness the spectacle on what has become one of San Francisco’s most celebrated stages.

Reviewing for the SF Classical Voice in January 2025, Yoshi Kato wrote, “The not-so-secret weapon of the night was the rhythm section: Spencer’s elegant playing and exceptional solos were a known quality going in, but (Jewell) McMillon’s electric bass guitar in an otherwise acoustic setting brought to mind the piano trios of both Hiromi and the late Shirley Horn.”

Lift Every Voice: A Singer Showcase is supported by The San Francisco Arts Commission and generous individual donors, which allows the program to be presented to the public at no cost.

Artist Biographies

Dee Spencer
Dr. Dee Spencer is Professor of Jazz and Musical Theatre at San Francisco State University, where she founded the Jazz Studies degree program and directed it for five years. She holds a B.S. from Florida A&M, an M.M. from Washington University in St. Louis, and an EdD from the University of San Francisco. Dee has performed, recorded, toured and judged with Wynton Marsalis (Jazz at Lincoln Center), Ledisi, Tower of Power’s Lenny Williams, John Handy, Jimmy Scott, Louis Bellson, Clark Terry, Regina Carter, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Bernard Purdie, Jason Brock, and the GLIDE ensemble. Her latest recording, “Tranquility,” arrived in 2018 — and each year she serves as an Annual Screener for the GRAMMY Awards.

Clairdee
Celebrated for her sophisticated and heartfelt interpretations, vocalist Clairdee brings a unique blend of elegance and warmth to the stage. Rooted in the rich tradition of jazz, she draws inspiration from iconic figures such as Sarah Vaughan, and Carmen McRae, yet her style remains distinctly her own. Her career highlights include collaborations with renowned musicians such as Dick Hyman, Houston Person, Russell Malone, and Ken Peplowski, and performances at prestigious venues such as Dizzy’s NYC and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Beyond her captivating performances, she is also a dedicated educator, passionate about preserving the legacy of jazz and mentoring the next generation of musicians.

Jewell McMillon
Jewell is a bassist, music artist and mathematician from the Bay Area who has been a member of the musician and artist community in the Bay for the last five years. She is heavily influenced by all styles of Black American Music and her peers in the community. She’s recently had the pleasure of being a member of bands that played at the 2023 Black Joy Parade, The Chapel, and California Academy of Sciences and is excited about continuing to share community and music with the Bay Area and beyond.

Ruthie Price
Ruthie Price is a soulful Bay Area native professional drummer and music educator. Picking up sticks at the age of six at church, Ruthie has never put them down; she’s been honoring her craft in Jazz, Gospel, Funk, Hip Hop, R&B, and Rock for 25 years strong. Ruthie has played on five continents and featured on Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show” with Grammy Award Winner Van Hunt. She played for the first female president Sir Leaf Johnson in Liberia with Jazz & Democracy, performed on the TV show “Empire” and won the NPR Tiny Desk competition with Grammy Award Winner Fantastic Negrito.

Community Singers
Annie Dang, Bellamy Ackrell, Charles “Shakey” Gibson, Chi Chi Amaichi, Clara McDaniel, Corey Kelley, Courtney Brown, David Navarro, Dina Rao, Naomi Berman, Ramon Garcia, Roberto Garcia, Thu Ho, Tina Marzell, Tony Howard and Yolanda Cato-Freeman.

Funding Credits: San Francisco International Arts Festival and The Last Supper Party made possible in part by (among others) the support of: Creative West (formerly WESTAF with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts), San Francisco Grants for the Arts, Sam Mazza Foundation, The California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission and generous individual donors.

Who: Dee Spencer Trio, Clairdee & Community Singers
What: Lift Every Voice: A Singer Showcase
Where: Castro Theatre
429 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114
Date:  Monday January 18, 7:00pm
Tickets: FREE
Box Office and Information: https://www.sfiaf.org/2027_lift_every_voice or 415-399-9554

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.