Andre Ward - Elma Lewis Playhouse in the Park July 17, 2007

The Franklin Park Coalition (FPC) partners with the National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAAA) and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department's ParkARTS Program to present a performing arts series named for the founder and director of the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts. Lewis, a beloved Boston icon, established Playhouse in the Park in 1966, and presented artists like Duke Ellington, Olatunji, Billy Taylor, the Boston Ballet and Odetta. In its original inception, it ran through 1978.

Take a seasoned musician who can play the soprano, alto and tenor saxophone with skilled ease and passion and mix in varied elements of gospel, jazz, R & B and you have Boston's own Chicago-born, Berklee trained Andre Ward. An accomplished purveyor of smooth jazz, Ward has performed for delighted audiences all over the world. Ward was the musical director for Freddie Jackson and has toured with Teena Marie, Will Downing, The Bobby Jones Gospel Group, The Four Tops, The O’Jays and Dizzy Gillespie.

Official Website: http://franklinparkcoalition.org