The 2016-2017 Summer stage of the World Music Institute will be opened by veteran Nigerian musician King Sunny Ade. The concert will also feature another Veteran, Orlando Julius as well as The Afro Soundz, and DJ Rich Medina.
The free concert takes place Sunday, July 3, 2016 at the SummerStage in Central Park. Doors open at 2:00 p.m. and entrance is on a first come, first serve basis until capacity is reached. The concert begins at 3:00 p.m. and is expected to last till 7:00 p.m.
King Sunny Adé is a legendary singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and one of the early proponents of AfroJuju music in Africa. His band ‘African Beats’ consisting of 17 musicians and singers and 5 dancers will return to the United States for the first time since 2009.
“We are extremely happy to be working with SummerStage to present an artist who is undoubtedly one of the greatest musicians in Africa’s history,” says WMI artistic director Par Neiburger of Adé. “To present an artist of this magnitude with one of New York’s premier outdoor music presenting organizations is a very exciting way to begin our next concert season.”
King Sunny Ade is a two time Grammy awards nominee and has over 120 albums to his name.