Program
Friday
30 August
These acts have been confirmed, more to folow. The timetable will be published soon.
Gladys Knight
Although singing sensation Gladys Knight once did a Farewell Tour, as many as 15 years ago, the Empress of Soul is still going strong. Her career is a long one: she won a TV talent show at age 7 and as a teen found fame with her band The Pips. After scoring classic hits such as I Heard It Through The Grapevine and Midnight Train To Georgia in the 1960 and 1970s, Knight started a successful solo career in the 1980s which included the James Bond title track License To Kill. She released dozens of albums and branched out into acting, entrepreneurship and charity work. Always coming back to music, her latest album Where My Heart Belongs, a gospel record, once again featured The Pips. Knight has seven Grammys and numerous awards to her name and received Kennedy Center Honors in 2022.
Gregory Porter
With his endearing smile and generous baritone voice, Gregory Porter effortlessly wins over audiences everywhere. Although he attended university on a football scholarship and at one time worked as a chef, luckily for us Porter decided to make use of his singing talent fulltime. His first two albums both earned him Grammy nominations, but it was his third, 2013’s Liquid Spirit, which really got him the success he deserves – as well as his first Grammy! He received another one for its successor, 2016’s Take Me To The Alley. Listing Donny Hathaway, Bill Withers and Nat King Cole as his biggest influences, Porter dedicated his 2017 album Nat King Cole & Me to the songs of the latter. Most recently he released Still Rising (2021), with new songs, covers, duets, and a selection of his much-loved favorites.
Juan Luis Guerra 440
Musician, singer, composer, and record producer Juan Luis Guerra is one of the most internationally recognized and best-selling Latin music artists. He studied music both in his native Dominican Republic as well as at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Throughout his career, he has sold millions of records and won numerous awards including Latin Grammy Awards, Grammy Awards, and Latin Billboard Music Awards. An audience favorite and therefore the artist that has most often visited the festival, Guerra made his performances unforgettable every single time. With his infectious blend of merengue and salsa with bachata mixed with Afro pop, jazz, and folk, he makes it impossible to stand still! Last year saw the release of his latest album, Radio Güira.
Marc Anthony
Singer, composer, producer, and actor Marc Anthony is the best selling salsa artist in the world. Born in New York as the son of Puerto Rican parents, he started singing professionally from a young age. After releasing his first album When The Night Is Over with Little Louie Vega in 1991, it was 1993’s Otro Nota which put him firmly on the map as a salsa artist. Anthony made several Spanish albums before his international mainstream breakthrough came with the 1999 album Marc Anthony. In his career, Anthony has amassed a string of Grammy’s, Latin Grammy’s and other prestigious prizes, and also branched out into acting, business and philanthropy. In 2022, he released his ninth salsa album, Pa’llá Voy, which he co-produced with long-time collaborator Sergio George.
Seal
In the midst of the raw rock era of Guns N' Roses and Nirvana in the early 1990s, Seal and his smooth, velvet voice brought us enchanting pop gems such as Killer, Crazy and Kiss From A Rose. Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel, as he was christened by his Nigerian mother and Afro-Brazilian father, was an integral part of the MTV screen and picked up multiple Grammy, Brit and MTV Awards. But Seal is by no means a voice of the past; in addition to the 30 million albums he’s sold, he has also managed to generate no less than one billion streams in the digital age. Since last year he has been celebrating his more than 30-year career with a world tour playing material from his classic albums Seal (1991) and Seal II (1994). The shows are under the musical direction of Trevor Horn, who produced the original records back in the day.
Judith Hill
Judith Hill is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. The daughter of two professional musicians, she is one of the highest-profile background singers of her generation and was featured in 20 Feet From Stardom, the documentary about the most sought-after backup singers. Accompanying artists such as Robbie Williams, Rod Stewart, Anastacia, Prince and Michael Jackson, Hill also carved out a successful solo career. Her original songs were featured in Spike Lee’s 2012 film Red Hook Summer and her debut album, 2015’s Back In Time, was produced by Prince and recorded at his Paisley Park studio. Hill was a contestant on The Voice in 2013 and toured with Josh Groban and John Legend as an opening act. Her new album, Letters From A Black Widow, is due for release this April.
