About
Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts”
“Bringing Color to the Classics!”
The VISION
CAAPA’s vision is to incorporate and provide a broad based platform for artists, audiences, presenters, corporations, education, and the community in an effort to help broaden cultural outreach by fusing talent in all genre, providing resources, presenting opportunities, creating forums, and performances for and to culturally diverse populations. While CAAPA encourages and supports all genre of the performing arts, including dance, instrumental and vocal music (jazz, gospel, R&B, blues, etc.), visual artistry, drama, theatre, and the spoken word, our primary focus is on African American Classical musicians.
The MISSION
CAAPA (Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts, Inc.) is a non-profit company with several simple purposes:
Cultural outreach to the community,
Application, development, and training for African American classical musicians,
Approach and present opportunities for national and international audience development,
Provide a forum to help continue the legacy of African Americans in classical music and the performing arts, and,
Allow for growth and creativity in community programming for diverse populations.
The HISTORY
A Washington, DC based, non-profit organization, the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA) was founded in 2002 by classical musicians brother and sister team Victor Simonson and Pamela Simonson Ferguson, along with a collective of artists and arts lovers, who were seeking to create wider-based performance opportunities for African American classical musicians and performing artists, as well as introducing the classical music genre, along with other art forms to African American audiences. The native New Yorkers sought to bring their own love and passion for classical music to African Americans organizations, individuals, and companies, but more importantly, as benefactors of groups who supported their talent in the arts as youth, they desired to provide a platform for others, in order to give back to their community. CAAPA is their way of saying thank you to their “village”. They live by the credo…”Bring color to the classics!”
Founder, brother Victor Simonson, Musical Director, Pianist and Composer has traveled with Oprah Winfrey’s “The Color Purple” as Associate Conductor, served as Music Director for Three Mo’ Tenors and Three Mo’ Divas, and is hailed as the youngest Music Director for a Broadway–bound show for his work in “Brooklyn; The Musical”.
Founder, sister Pamela Simonson, Soprano, Actress, and Teacher has been seen in performances with the San Francisco Opera, Lyric Chicago Opera, the Washington National Opera, as well as on stages for national and international audiences. She has served as Music Director for Camp Arena Stage, produced performances and taught music to students from K-8 grade.
As a team, the siblings have performed throughout the eastern seaboard and have been hailed as the “Only African American Brother-Sister Classical Vocal Duet in the United States”.
One of CAAPA’s founding members also includes avid arts lover Terri Allen. Mrs. Allen “Brings Color to the Classics” by supporting the arts in a variety of ways including helping develop programs and performance opportunities for African American classical musicians.
The CAAPA team desires to promote and support performers and diligently seeks to recognize talent, thus helping to broaden the audience scope and to stimulate the further appreciation of classical artists. If you know a talented classical musician who desires support, contact CAAPA today.
In the meantime, won’t you become a sponsor, (a variety of financial levels are available) or become a member by joining the CAAPA cause and “Bring Color to the Classics!”?
CAAPA needs your support in order to continue working in the community and appreciate your love and support for the arts!
Please help bring a classical voice to color!
