Dig out your bell-bottoms, go-go boots, and disco fever! We’re traveling back in time to the 70s with the out of sight Cecily, Strathmore Artist in Residence class of 2018 and her far out band!
This free concert at Good Hope Neighborhood Recreation Center is part of Bloom by Strathmore, which strives to create community and expand access to the arts. View upcoming Bloom concerts.
About Cecily
Strathmore Artist in Residence Class of 2018
DC-based vocalist and songwriter Cecily, (pronounced ses-suh-lee), is known for her agile soprano and honest lyrics. Her sound, as soothing as it is rich, is rooted in a deep appreciation for mid-century soul and jazz, 90’s R&B, and re-imagined folk music.
In her songs you’ll hear the influence of growing up surrounded by her parents’ vast record collection. Her father, a lover of Miles Davis, and her mother, a Smokey Robinson fan, filled their home with soulful sounds that captivated their daughter, and which she has channeled into her own work. This influence gives her work a unique sensuality that informs not only her vocal approach, but also her self-reflecting lyrics, grappling with self-acceptance, vulnerability, and rebirth. Soulbounce says that Cecily creates “ music that pulls from the past but looks toward the future.”
Her debut album Songs of Love and Freedom garnered her a 2019 Wammie Award for Best Soul Album and was named “Best New Soul on Bandcamp” by the Bandcamp editorial team, who described the project as “stirringly timeless and modern.”
Cecily has performed multiple times at the legendary Blues Alley and the Apollo Music Café, as well as The Kennedy Center, The Hamilton, The Howard Theater, and The Mint LA. In 2017, Cecily and her band were invited by the US Embassy to perform in Colombia at the VI Annual Mompox Jazz Festival. She has been featured on BET Soul, BET Her, BET.com, Music Choice, WUSA9, WJLA, NewsChannel 8, DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment, WBGO, WPFW, and NPR.