
Artists
Annie & the Caldwell Singers
gospel
A true family affair, Annie & the Caldwell Singers deliver the glorious quartet gospel singing of Annie Caldwell along with her husband and five of their children. Their energetic and moving musical testimonies, blending fiery gospel sounds with the slow-burn groove of soul, have made them longtime favorites on the traditional gospel circuit.
Eddie Cotton, Jr.
soul blues
Bluesman Eddie Cotton, Jr.’s music is rooted in the church. His father was a Pentecostal minister who founded the Christ Chapel Church of God in Christ Church in nearby Clinton, Mississippi. From his start playing in the church at age six, Cotton has become a blues master with an international fan base. His career remains focused on two things: electrifying blues audiences near and far, and his commitment to his home church, where he serves as minister of music.
BeauSoleil Trio
Cajun
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) National Heritage Fellow Michael Doucet, David Doucet, and Chad Huval offer up glorious twin fiddle and fiddle-accordion pairings accompanied by acoustic guitar, beloved sounds from the heart of Cajun tradition. The BeauSoleil Trio pays homage to past Cajun masters with delightful stories and beautiful tunes performed with freshness, immediacy, and unmatched virtuosity.
Edwin Perez y su Orquestra
salsa dura
Born in New York, Edwin Perez was raised by his grandparents in Caguas, Puerto Rico. Edwin excelled singing in the church choir his grandfather directed but felt a strong draw to music that spoke to what he calls the “drums in my heart.” As an adult, he moved back to New York, where a chance encounter with a Cuban band transformed his private pursuit of music and eventually thrust him to the forefront of New York’s Latin music scene.
Chief Shaka Zulu
New Orleans Black Masking craftsman and stilt dancer
Chief Shaka Zulu is a master of Black Masking suit design, a tradition native to New Orleans and its interwoven history of Indigenous and Black culture. Zulu is also a revered drummer and stilt dancer, both rooted in the city’s West African traditions. In 2022, he was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor for the traditional arts in the United States.
Yamini Kalluri & the Kritya Music Ensemble
Kuchipudi dance
At just 26, Yamini Kalluri is an internationally acclaimed Kuchipudi performer, choreographer, and teacher. Born in the United States, Kalluri grew up in Hyderabad, India, where she began studying this classical dance form at age seven. One of India's nine classical dance forms, Kuchipudi is known for its expressive and theatrical storytelling, emphasis on dexterity and vigor, and a final act danced upon the rim of a brass plate.