Portland Ovations brings the young Haitian singer, songwriter and guitarist, BélO and his five-piece band on tour as part of Center StageSM to Hannaford Hall, USM Portland for an evening concert on Sunday, November 4th at 7pm.
Jean Murat Bélony (BélO) was born in Croix-des-Bouquets, a city eight miles to the northeast of Haiti's capital, Port-Au-Prince and started singing at a very young age. BélO, a socially conscious folk singer, hailed as Haiti's musical ambassador to the world, sings ballads and other songs channeling his deep and diverse Afro-Caribbean roots with the beats of reggae and the soul of R&B. Active in many humanitarian efforts to rebuild Haiti, the award-winning BélO inspires change at home and abroad with his powerful lyrics tackling hard-hitting themes focused around the destiny of Haiti's children and doing all that he can to help rebuild his country after the terrible earthquake of 2010.
Portland Ovations presentation of BélO is part of Center StageSM, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts, in cooperation with the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, with additional support from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the Asian Cultural Council, and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. Lisa Booth Management, Inc. provides General Management for Center StageSM.
Prior to BélO's performance on Sunday, November 4th at Hannaford Hall, Ovations Offstage offers a pre-performance lecture "Haiti's Other Side: Memories and Perspectives" starting at 6pm. Renowned Haitian storyteller and artist Charlot Lucien discusses Haiti's rich and complex cultural, historical and social landscape. Charlot, a Konbit Sante board member, provides an ideal preface for appreciating BélO's socially conscious lyrics and humanitarian ethos. For more information on Charlot Lucien, please visit
www.charlotlucien.com. Tickets for BélO are $31 for Ovations' Members, $34 for the general public and a limited amount of $10 student deal tickets are also available. New England Foundation for The Arts and the Center for Cultural Exchange Foundation provide support for the performance by BélO. To purchase tickets, visit www.portlandovations.org, contact PortTIX at 207-842-0800 or visit the box office window at Merrill Auditorium.
