He’s played Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center for the Arts, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Hollywood Bowl. He’s performed for presidents and royalty and with musical legends such as Aretha Franklin, Jessye Norman and Diana Ross. He’s won a Dove Award and an NAACP Image Award.
His lengthy musical resume features a varied list of collaborations with other well-known performers and appearances at global venues, but there’s one thing Damien Sneed hasn’t done yet. The pianist, vocalist, organist, composer, conductor, arranger, producer and arts educator has never played his hometown with a show that he created — until now.
“I’ve performed for the Jessye Norman School of the Arts and with Wycliffe Gordon” as well as directing the Aiken Civic Orchestra and presenting a Wynton Marsalis Mass during his previous Augusta appearances. His Tribute to Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul will make its Augusta debut at 8 p.m. Friday at the Miller Theater.
Sneed, a 1996 graduate of John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School, earned his bachelor’s degree in music from Howard University and his master’s from the Manhattan School of Music. He’s currently on staff at the Manhattan School of Music.
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Sneed toured with Franklin and considers her one of his mentors.
“She was such an amazing musician. She heard every note,” he said.
And she’d sent out a list of corrections after a rehearsal.
“She’d send out detailed messages about everything she heard,” he said.
Sneed also played her final concert with her, and he was part of her 10-hour funeral, which required 12 hours of rehearsals.
Joining Sneed in concert will be Valerie Simpson. half of the songwriting-performing-producing duo of Ashford & Simpson, an award-winning collaboration with her late husband Nick Ashford that began in the 1960s. Together they penned such classic hits as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “You’re All I Need to Get By,” “Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand” and “I’m Every Woman.”
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While Sneed has a vast musical resume including performing for President Barack Obama and for Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee earlier this year, he almost chose a different career path — medicine.
Sneed had planned on being a doctor until he attended one of the Grammy in Schools programs.
He spent many weekends as a Davidson student driving to Atlanta to participate in a jazz ensemble and through that group had the opportunity to travel to the awards festivities.
And his decision opened up a world he never would’ve imagined.
He also developed a close relationship with Jessye Norman. He was part of her final recording.
Long before she became famous, Sneed’s parents knew her. They were part of the same church in Augusta, and Norman sang at their wedding, he said.
Sneed would follow in Norman’s footsteps in a fashion, attending her alma mater of Howard University.
In 2019, Sneed performed at the Metropolitan Opera for the memorial tribute to his mentor Jessye Norman. He composed music for and accompanied the following artists at the piano: J’Nai Bridges, Latonia Moore, Leah Hawkins and Metropolitan Opera Chorus conducted by Maestro Donald Palumbo, according to Sneed’s website.
Sneed said he’s looking forward to the Augusta event.
For tickets, visit, millertheateraugusta.com
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
