Ethel’s Love Legacy – Ethel Ennis Celebration

Celebrate the music, life, and legacy of Ethel Ennis during an evening inspired by the Ethel’s Place exhibition at Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Library.

Performances by acclaimed vocalist Charenée Wade and the Peabody Jazz Ensemble will bring to life some of Ethel’s signature songs. Between song sets, Ethel’s husband Earl Arnett and the singer’s longtime percussionist and friend Gaynell Colburn will share stories of how Ethel spread her love through songs, relationships, and even business ventures. This soulful evening of music, memories, and love is not to be missed!

This program is made possible by the Sheridan Libraries and the Billie Holiday Center for Liberation Arts, Johns Hopkins University, through a grant from the Mellon Foundation.

Artist Bios
Charenée Wade is an award-winning singer whose silky voice and technical bravado demonstrate deep listening to Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter. Her delicious interpretations of some of Ethel’s favorite material evoke the resonance of the original with an enchanting and inventive twist.

Led by celebrated trumpeter Sean Jones, who holds the Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair in Jazz at the Peabody Conservatory, the Peabody Jazz Ensemble brings together up-and-coming talents in love with the history of jazz and paying it forward with new energy and artistry.

Earl Arnett has been a dedicated storyteller, arts advocate, businessman, and community member in Baltimore for over fifty years. Alongside supporting the career of his late wife and partner Ethel Ennis, he worked as reporter with the Baltimore Sun, a theater critic on the MPT television show Critic’s Place, an instructor at Peabody Conservatory, a member of his neighborhood council, and a consultant on projects to support local schools and enact criminal justice reforms.

Gaynell Colburn is a motivational speaker, vocalist, and renowned percussionist. She has worked with artists like Herbie Hancock, Roy Ayers, Phyllis Hyman and Ashford and Simpson. She worked with Stevie Wonder as a percussionist on the video “My Eyes Don’t Cry,” and performed the music for The Cosby Show theme. She has used her love of music to help disadvantaged youth through the work of her Telsie B. Howard Foundation, a tribute to her late grandmother. In 1984, Colburn was named Miss Wheelchair America and in 1998, she received the Essence magazine award for her outstanding service to the community.