Curated by The Reverend Shawn Amos

June 20, 2026 at 8 PM

Vivian Sessoms takes the stage for a special blackbox performance of Neon Nights, where she performs the music of the legendary female artists of the 1970s disco era! 

An accomplished singer, songwriter, and producer, Vivian Sessoms has performed as a backing vocalist for Chaka Khan, Rob Thomas, Donna Summer, Cher, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Pink, Joe Cocker, Christina Aguilera, Patti Austin, and a host of others. Whether performing original material or reimagining beloved classics, she captivates audiences with her sophisticated, expressive voice and bold, genre-defying arrangements, proving herself a fiery and forward-thinking artist in her own right. Drawing inspiration from jazz, R&B, and pop, her sound is fresh, dynamic, and utterly distinctive. With a voice described as “exquisite” by both Rolling Stone and Billboard, Sessoms delivers a blackbox performance not to be missed!

Tickets and subscription packages are on sale July 1st at 12pm PT!

Priority Members ($1,000+) can purchase tickets and subscriptions now; all Members ($125+) can purchase tickets and subscriptions starting June 24th at 12pm PT.

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Accomplished singer, songwriter, and producer, Harlem native Vivian Sessoms, having amassed credits as a backing vocalist for Chaka Khan, Rob Thomas, Donna Summer, Cher, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Pink, Joe Cocker, Christina Aguilera, Patti Austin, and a host of others, has proven herself a fiery and forward-thinking artist in her own right. On her latest releases LIFE, and LIFE II, in collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist Chris Parks, Sessoms displays an adventurous arranging sensibility, coupled with a refreshing disregard for genre boundaries. Her expressive, sophisticated sound draws on jazz, R&B and pop in fresh and exciting ways, whether she’s presenting her own material, or reshaping classic pop, jazz & soul hits with a view toward transformation and constant surprise. Through it all, Sessoms soars in a voice that is full and robust, unerring in pitch, and utterly at home in a wide variety of feels and settings. Her voice has been called exquisite by Rolling Stone Magazine, and has been met with high praise in Billboard, Ebony, and numerous additional publications.

Celebrated recording artist and NAACP Image Award-winning author Shawn Amos, best known as joyful bluesman The Reverend Shawn Amos, is an astute storyteller of multiple mediums. Shawn invests his unique creative vision and business savvy in both his own work and the endeavors of countless collaborators. He first honed these skills— and a restless entrepreneurial spirit— as a child of 1970s Hollywood, helping his father Wally “Famous” Amos launch a now-iconic cookie brand on then-gritty Sunset Boulevard.

Following a stint at NYU film school, Shawn wrote scripts for A & M films by day, recording and performing original music focusing on race and identity by night. As a record company executive, he conceived and produced multiple releases for both Rhino Entertainment and Shout! Factory, including Grammy-nominated box set Rhapsodies in Black: Music & Words From the Harlem Renaissance and Q: The Musical Biography of Quincy Jones. The legendary Jones subsequently enlisted Shawn to oversee his Listen Up Foundation.

The new millennium saw Shawn unexpectedly pioneer content marketing for companies seeking a potent online voice. This fruitful path led to his current position with communications agency Hudson Cutler, where Shawn counsels executives on everything from media appearances to change management. He is executive producer of the animated series, Cookies & Milk (based upon his debut book), in development at Disney, and author of middle-grade novel, Franklin and the Fabulous 5ive (2026 publication). The Reverend Shawn Amos Dance Party, an album of originals and 1960s dance classics, is forthcoming. Blackbox, the blues and roots music series he curates for Santa Monica performing arts center BroadStage, is in its seventh year.

Jazz & Blues Sponsor:

Richard and Lisa Kendall

blackbox Sponsor:

Ann Petersen and Leslie Pam

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