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Local Musician Victor Simonson Stops by Churches While on National Tour

Color Purple Associate Conductor misses home and returns to visit DC area churches while performing at the Hippodrome.

(Billboard Publicity Wire) May 11, 2008 -- After spending almost a year on the road with Oprah Winfrey's production of The Color Purple, Associate Conductor Victor Simonson is performing at the Hippodrome for one month in Baltimore during May before continuing the national tour, which will last through January 2009. While in the area, he will make several appearances at local DC area churches to perform songs from his recently released CD, Victory! Introducing Victor Simonson, which debuted in New York City in February. Scheduled performances, held during worship services, include Metropolitan Baptist Church, Sunday, May 4th at the 7:45 a.m. service, Michigan Park Christian Church, 1600 Taylor Street, Washington DC at the 10 a.m. Mother's Day service, and Celebration Church, 6080 Foreland Garth, Columbia, MD on Sunday, May 18th at the 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. services.

The Fort Washington, MD resident also often played organ at Alfred Street Baptist Church, Alexandria, VA; Metropolitan AME Church (Rosa Park's Memorial Service), and served as the Director of Organ Music at Metropolitan Baptist Church, with Richard Smallwood and Nolan Williams and others.

Having worked on projects for soprano Denyce Graves, (classical), Donnie McClurkin (gospel), and Kim Thompson (jazz- Beyonce's drummer), Simonson is also best known for and has defined himself as a multi-genre musician, as the Music Director for Three Mo' Tenors, the Boys Choir of Harlem, and Three Mo' Divas, popularized at the Arena Stage, for which he was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Best Musical Director.

Simonson attended Howard University and became proficient in piano and organ, under the tutelage of Dr. J. Weldon Norris. His project has been hailed as Neo-Eclectic, incorporating a variety of music including; opera, jazz, gospel, sacred, and inspirational. It is available on cdbaby.com, amazon.com, and his website victorsimonson.com or myspace page.

While the Tony-award winning show is in town, Simonson wants to see many people, including his new bride, Ciara Gregory, 2nd year graduate student at Howard School of Divinity, whom he met at Metropolitan Baptist almost 5 years ago. Being a newlywed, Simonson says it's difficult being on the road for many reasons, and his misses everyone, but, while he is near, he will not be far away.

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