The Music of 1776 & Hamilton: A Revolutionary Revue

Let’s keep our country’s 250th celebration going with inspiring songs from these two fantastic musicals sung by four incredible vocalists!

V.Shayne Frederick Music Director

sade j. abiodun (s.j.a) is a trans•disciplinary, metaphysical anomaly, & cyber griot of Nigerian & south African descent. They are the founder of AMPERS&ND MEDIA WORX, an interdisciplinary studio &&& multimedia archive that curates & chronicles experimental works centered on themes of ancestral intelligence, embodied cognition, & multimodal ritual. Under their sonic moniker s.arinade (pronounced ’serenade’), they experiment with vocalization, rendition, & improvisational play as a means of sensory immersion & time•space•genre bending. Learn more about s.j.a’s expanded creative practice (& meditations on cinema, jazz, & creative gnosis) through their digitized AMPERS&ND archive: www.sade.space/ampersand

Stephan Burse is a captivating vocal artist from the Midwest who has called the East Coast home since 2013. Blending Gospel, Jazz, Classical, and Musical Theater, he creates powerful performances that invite audiences into the emotional core of the music. Stephan has performed at renowned venues including South Jazz Parlor, Chris’ Jazz, Minton's Playhouse, Smalls Jazz Club, Ortlieb’s, The Mann Center, and Kimmel Cultural Campus. His theater credits include Don Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tom Collins in Rent, Dragon in Shrek the Musical, and Porgy in Porgy and Bess.

V. Shayne Frederick is "soulful" [DownBeat] “one to watch, a shining light,” [Philadelphia Inquirer] and "one of the region's greatest jazz singers.” [Metro Philadelphia] He’s electrified the Philadelphia Orchestra, TEDx, NPR, with frequent performances at The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia Museum of Art, alongside residencies and concerts at jazz clubs such as The Jazz Club at Aman New York, Con Alma Pittsburgh, Minton's Harlem, Kelsey’s Atlantic City, South Jazz Club, Chris' Jazz Cafe. He travels as narrator and vocalist with Ruth Naomi Floyd’s Frederick Douglass Jazz Works, and as pianist, composer, and vocalist with poet laureate Yolanda Wisher & the Afroeaters. He also does scoring and voiceover work for film, commercial and short media. His most recent album, Treasures, was JazzFM UK’s "Track of Week." He left a 16-year career with the City of Philadelphia for full-time art in 2019. Shayne has been on the music faculty at Temple University and The University of the Arts, and is a curatorial collaborator of multiple events for the nation’s Semiquincentennial taking place in Philadelphia.

Emily Sampson is a multi-faceted vocalist. She specializes in Musical Theatre, Jazz, and Pop. Born and raised in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Emily has been singing since she could speak. Music has been her life from the very beginning. All throughout her adolescence she performed solo, with choirs, and on stage in roles such as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray and Miss Hannigan in Annie. Emily earned her Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Performance from University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she studied under Paul Adkins and Jeffery Kern, and where she also learned from V. Shayne Frederick. When not performing, you can find her crocheting or spending time with her Fiancé, Griffin. “The earth has music for those who listen.”