Liberty City Native Superstar Powers Upat Ali Cultural Arts Center
By Kay Renz
Pompano Beach Arts is thrilled to bring incredible vocalist, fearless artist, and all-around creative powerhouse Courtney Mickens to the stage for the next Live and Local Concert. This wonderfully gifted vocalist bridges soul, jazz, R&B and pop seamlessly to create a style all her own. Join us on Friday, September 15, 2023, at 7 p.m. at the Ali Cultural Arts Center. Tickets are free but registration is required at www.pompanobeacharts.org
“Courtney Mickens approaches every performance with unbridled joy and freedom that inspires every listener,” said Ty Tabing, Director, Cultural Affairs Department. “Born and raised in Liberty City, she is an example of the extraordinary talent that South Florida nurtures and that Pompano Beach Arts supports and promotes.”
Mickens started performing professionally in South Florida in 2013, but her journey with music began from infancy. “Growing up as Bahamian descendants of a pastor and organist, almost everyone in my family sings, plays an instrument or two, dances, paints or draws,” said Mickens. “My first encounter with singing began with my mother. She has a beautiful soprano voice and was always a knockout vocalist in church. My mother listens to a lot of different genres (jazz, bossa nova, funk, r&b, gospel, pop) which heavily influenced my musical ear. My grandmother then taught me piano at the age of five, and my love for music grew from there.”
She trained at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center in Miami from ages 11 to 17, studying jazz piano, music theory, vocal performance technique, classical and pop, as well as dance, theatre and visual art. She attended Florida State University, where she won several awards for her arrangements and solos during the International Collegiate A Cappella Association (ICCA) Competition. As a vocal arranger, she has been a part of major productions and sung in several high-profile projects, but her solo career has begun to take off with appearances in the RAW Artist series, performances in New York for the international house concert series SoFar Sounds, and the release of her most recent R&B single “Bad.” With every performance, Courtney masterfully employs her vocal power with emotion and the ability to tell a story with the notes as well as the words.
Space is limited. No tickets are sold at the door. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.
About the City of Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs Department
The mission of the Cultural Affairs Department is to provide cultural programming that includes visual arts, digital media, music, film, theater, dance and public art for the enjoyment and enrichment of residents and visitors to Pompano Beach, Broward County, and the greater South Florida area. The department programs and manages the City’s premiere cultural arts venues including the Pompano Beach Cultural Center, Ali Cultural Arts Center, Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, and the Blanche Ely House Museum. The department also oversees the City’s Public Art Program and the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town grant awarded to the Pompano Beach Crossroads place-making arts initiative.
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