May 24th, 2019

Berklee College of Music partners with the Boston Art & Music Soul (BAMS) Festival

Berklee College of Music’s collaboration with the Boston Art & Music Soul (BAMS) Festival in Franklin Park kicks off on Saturday, June 22, from 12 noon to 8:00 p.m., at Playstead Field in Franklin Park, 1 Pierpont Road, rain or shine.

Last year’s inaugural festival drew more than 2,000 participants for hip-hop, spoken word and soul music by local and national artists of color at historic Franklin Park. It also featured local visual artists making murals, local vendors and food trucks with varied menus.   

BAMS Festival once again offers a day filled with music, entertainment, dance, art, spoken wor, and family-friendly activities. The festival is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is encouraged.

Grammy-nominated R&B singer, songwriter and producer Eric Roberson headlines the festival, which also includes a line-up of 19 artists and musicians representing R&B, hip-hop, afrobeat/house, jazz, fusion, funk and soul from around the country.

Terri Lyne Carrington—a three-time Grammy Award winner, Berklee professor and artistic director of the Berklee Institute for Jazz and Gender Justice — co-curated the musical performances, which features Berklee singers ÁBI, Dalaun and Safiya. The roster also includes Dorchester filmmaker and musician Cliff Notez; vocalist Aleecya; the R&B/neo-soul duo Optic Bloom; Motown and doowop quartet The Tee-Tones; the nine-piece funk and soul collective known as American Symphony of Soul; New England’s premiere samba and Brazilian dance troupe SambaViva; and many more acts over two stages.

Rob “Problak” Gibbs, who co-founded Artists for Humanity, and Racines Black Dance Festival organized both the art and dance components of BAMS Festival. Gibbs will present an interactive, live social justice art-themed exhibition with emerging painters and graffiti writers from New England. Racines Black Dance Festival will stage a workshop for attendees to learn both traditional and contemporary African and Afro-centric dance styles. A vendor market featuring artists, craft makers, creative entrepreneurs and minority-owned small businesses from across New England will be on-site at Franklin Park. Attendees are encouraged to bring favorite board and card games for a day of family fun.

BAMS Festival is made possible in part through a grant from the Boston Foundation’s Permanent Fund for Boston, Mass Cultural Council, and funding from Berklee College of Music; support from the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture and the City of Boston; and media partnerships with WBUR, The New 97.7 FM, The Urban Heat, Ethnic Online, Dig Boston and the Bay State Banner.

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