Emancipation Celebration at The Grand 1894 Opera House

Join Juneteenth Galveston for the Emancipation Celebration hosted by the Nia Cultural Center, Inc on Friday, June 16th at the Galveston Grand 1894 Opera House featuring Gospel GRAMMY-Award winner, Reverend Smokie Norful, NAACP Image and GRAMMY Award nominee, Zacardi Cortez and 4th season "Sunday's Best" gospel diva, Amber Bulluck. Doors open at 6PM • Show starts at 7PM.

Full Event Details

Join the Nia Cultural Center on June 16th, for the 2nd Annual Emancipation Celebration at the Grand Opera House located at 2020 Postoffice Street. The event will honor pioneers on the national and local level who have made their mark by fighting for freedom, equality, and justice for African Americans. This recognition will be highlighted with awards, and gospel performances from local, regional, and national talent.

Pastor Smokie Norful is a world-renowned Pastor, award-winning recording artist, educator, author, and visionary who has a strong passion for saving souls and transforming the lives of others. He has reached the heights of success in both ministry and music, with over 25 years of preaching, 17 years of pastoring, and his music career spanning over two decades. As an internationally known musician, music composer, producer, and singer, Norful’s 2002 solo debut release “I NEED YOU NOW” catapulted him to worldwide recognition. Since that time, he has found commercial success with five Number 1 Billboard Albums and over 3 million albums sold worldwide. He has earned 2 Grammy Awards, 11 Stellar Awards, 5 Dove Awards, 1 Soul Train Music Award, 2 NAACP Image award nominations, and 3 BET award nominations.

One of the most talked about voices in gospel music today belongs to 36-year-old Grammy and BET Award Nominee and Award-winning songwriter, Zacardi Cortez. Born in Houston, TX, Cortez hails from a singing family of faith. Cortez’s recent waves in Gospel Music include penning and celebrating his fourth #1 Billboard Gospel Airplay single “You’ve Been Good to Me.” His previous #1 Billboard single “You Don’t Know,” is also written by Cortez joined by James Fortune; produced by Marcus Calyen and AyRon Lewis. Zacardi had a prior 12 week run at #1 on the same chart for the song “God Held Me (Together).” Other Top 10 solo radio hits include “YDIA,” “1-On-1,” and “One More Time,” featuring Pastor John P. Kee.

The winner of BET’s 2011 reality series Sunday Best, St. Louis native Amber Bullock had just about given up hope when she auditioned for the televised gospel singing competition. First, her mother had fallen sick and Bullock moved to Dallas to be with her, then a car accident left the aspiring singer injured and unable to take care of her daughter, who was sent home to St. Louis to be with her father. Fortunately, Dallas' final day of Sunday Best auditions 2011 coincided with a good day for Bullock, and without the usual distraction of pain, the singer nailed it with series regulars like Kirk Franklin and Donnie McClurkin immediately taking notice. Competing against finalists Michael Pugh and Andrea Helms, Bullock won, performing her version of "A City Called Heaven" during the season finale. The song would appear on her debut EP, Thank You, which was released by Matthew Knowles’ Music World Gospel label in late 2011. and an eight out of ten by Cross Rhythms' Lins Honeyman. This would be the precursor to her first studio album, So in Love, which released on July 10, 2012, and it charted on two Billboard charts the Top Gospel albums at No. 3 and at the No. 30 position on the Independent Albums chart. The album received a nine out of ten by Cross Rhythms' Lins Honeyman, and E.J. Gaines of UP reports that "So In Love is a solid collection of feel-good music, anchored in soulful melodies and accented by Bullock’s undeniable passion and impeccable vocal agility."