Harlem Week’s SummerStage is the place for music lovers to close out the season with two evenings of free live performances celebrating Harlem’s musical legacy and new talent.
The Jeff Foxx Band and opening artist Terryl Lee will kick off the series on Thursday, Aug. 6, at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building from 5 to 7 p.m. The evening will feature soul, funk and R&B in celebration of this year’s Harlem Week theme, “Honoring Our Legacy.”
The following week, on Aug. 13, Harlem independent artist Shanay Morant and Harlem-born singer Alyson Williams will perform at the same venue from 5 to 7 p.m.
For more than 50 years, Harlem Week’s SummerStage has served as both a launching pad for emerging performers and a showcase for established local artists. Harlem Week, which runs from Aug. 1 to Aug. 16, celebrates the music, food, fashion, culture, business, and community of Harlem.
“Early on, I watched A Tribe Called Quest, John Legend and many others before they became huge. Watching those same artists return years later is incredible,” said Marko Nobles, second vice chairman of Harlem Week’s board of directors. “Our goal is to represent all elements of what Harlem represents.”
That philosophy shapes this year’s lineup, which commemorates the 30th anniversary of Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, celebrates jazz icons, Caribbean culture and pays tribute to Latin music legends such as Celia Cruz.
Harlem Week began in 1974 as Harlem Day, founded by community leader Lloyd Williams to celebrate Harlem’s culture while countering the negative perceptions of the neighborhood and educating those in attendance about its historical significance. Williams died in August 2025 at age 80, making this the first Harlem Week held without its founder.
Nobles, a self-described child of Harlem Week, first met Williams as a teenager through his best friend’s uncle and began working as an intern. Reflecting back, he recalls witnessing some of Harlem Week’s defining moments.
“At 16, I interacted with Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving. I was there when Patrick Ewing was introduced after being drafted by the Knicks in 1985,” Nobles said.
SummerStage is one of Harlem Week’s signature attractions, the annual celebration also includes health and wellness programming, youth conferences, economic development events, film screenings and family activities curated to highlight the different facets of the Harlem community.
“When Harlem Day began in 1974, Harlem didn’t have its current reputation,” Nobles said. “The festival was created to make residents understand their community’s importance, and become ambassadors for their own neighborhood.”
For a full lineup of Harlem Week and details on Harlem SummerStage events, visit harlemweek.org.
