Grace Darko
Burnside Stage Directions
Friday, September 18 |
6:00PM - 6:40PM
Grace Darko presents an immersive performance of jazz, soul, and diasporic music that traces Black musical lineage across generations. Featuring original compositions alongside reimagined works inspired by artists including Ebo Taylor, Mongo Santamaría, and Erykah Badu, the ensemble weaves improvisation, storytelling, and groove into a joyful, community-centered experience rooted in memory, resilience, and home.
Grace Darko is a Bronx-born, Providence-based Ghanaian-Togolese-American artist, vocalist, and creative producer whose work lives at the intersection of jazz, soul, and diasporic storytelling. A 2026 Motif Rhode Island Music Award winner for Favorite R&B / Soul Act and runner-up for Favorite Jazz Act, she is recognized for honoring Black musical traditions through performances that connect history, culture, and contemporary expression.
Guided by the Akan principle of Sankofa, Grace approaches music as archive, memory, and bridge. Through original compositions and thoughtful reinterpretations, she explores identity, belonging, resilience, and community-based care, inviting audiences into spaces of reflection, connection, and joy.
Grace is the creator and creative producer of SOULstice: Jazz, Soul, & Sankofa, a community-centered performance series celebrating Black musical lineage through jazz, soul, storytelling, and diasporic musical traditions.
