The Ladies of Simone

About this event

Back by popular demand, The Ladies of Simone return to Arts Garage to celebrate the rich artistic legacy of the American musical icon and Empress of Soul, Nina Simone. The Ladies of Simone will perform Nina Simone classics such as “I Loves You Porgy,” “The Look of Love,” “My Baby Just Cares for Me,” “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black”, “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and more. Don’t Miss the Ladies of Simone, with vocalists Sarah Gracel and Deana Butler-Rahming! PERFORMER BIOS: Sarah Gracel (Nina #1) Sarah Gracel is a talented vocalist, an award-winning actress and the owner of The Candy Girls Gourmet Sweets. Sarah was cast in the South Florida premiere of the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center’s musical, Simply Simone – The Music of Nina Simone as Nina #1 in which she portrayed Nina Simone as a youth, innocent, energetic and hopeful for a brighter future. Sarah earned a Best Actress in a Musical South Florida Carbonell Award for her amazing performance in the role of Effie White in Broward Stage Door’s production of Dreamgirls. Known as the “Dramatic Desertress”, Sarah is the CEO of her own dessert company, The Candy Girls Gourmet Sweets. Ja’Nia Harden (Nina #2) Ja’Nia Harden is a gifted music artist, educator and author of the children’s book Fat Cat Caterpillar whose stunning voice encompasses genres of music such as jazz, R&B, pop, gospel and more. Ja’Nia is a proud alumnus of FAMU and was cast in the South Florida premiere of the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center’s musical, Simply Simone – The Music of Nina Simone as Nina #2 – The Singer. Ja’Nia brilliantly portrayed Nina Simone on the verge of success, optimistic yet cautious. Her amazing performance displayed a Nina Simone burned by the music business leaving her a little gun shy but maintaining her deepest pleasure in music. As the daughter of legendary WLRN jazz radio personality Len Pace, Ja’Nia’s roots in Jazz music runs deep. In addition, Ja’Nia has opened for music artist Lahla Hathaway and…