New Year Begins With ‘Amazing Grace’
Acclaimed international singer is Vero Beach resident and Central Florida minister
(VERO BEACH, FL) December 27, 2021 – Many consider Wintley Phipps to be both an artist — and an inspiration. Born in Trinidad, the two-time Grammy Award nominee is an ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister, world-renowned vocal artist, and innovative creator of special projects such as the US Dream Academy. On Sunday, January 9 at 3:00 PM, Phipps will lend his booming baritone for a powerful program with the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra. Amazing Grace: Wintley Phipps in Concert at the Emerson Center, 1590 27th Ave in Vero Beach will feature “It Is Well with My Soul,” “To God Be the Glory,” “I Surrender All,” “How Great Thou Art,” “Amazing Grace,” and many other well loved spirituals and hymns. Highly acclaimed for his spectacular neo-gospel performances, Phipps has performed for six American presidents including Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, along with performances for Mother Teresa and South African president, Nelson Mandela. Mr. Phipps’ work has been featured numerous times on television, including appearances on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. television special, Dr. Robert Schuller’s Hour of Power telecast, the Billy Graham Crusades, Saturday Night Live, Soul Train, and the Oprah Winfrey Show. Wintley Phipps has recorded nearly three dozen albums and compilations. Videos of Phipps’ “Amazing Grace” rendition at Carnegie Hall have racked up more than 25 million cumulative views on YouTube. A resident of Vero Beach, Wintley Phipps has served for 20 years as the senior pastor of the Palm Bay Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Palm Bay, Florida. $30 advance tickets to Amazing Grace are available through the orchestra website at SpaceCoastSymphony.org or at Marine Bank & Trust, mainland and beachside branches. General admission tickets will also be available at the door for $35. For more information, call toll free to 855-252-7276 or visit SpaceCoastSymphony.org.
Space Coast Symphony Orchestra Conductor and Artistic Director, Aaron T. Collins, is sure that that many will be eager to hear the uplifting, Amazing Grace.
“Along with the hope of the new year, the powerful message of this program will be the double dose of joy we all need right now,” said Collins. “We are incredibly fortunate that Central Florida is his home; we can all witness this talent who has performed for celebrities and dignitaries all over the world.”
Phipps, who never had a professional voice teacher, credits his vocal style to the hours spent listening to radio in his youth; specifically to the string of top-10 hits by Welsh singer, Tom Jones.
For more information about the Space Coast Symphony 2021-22 season or the Symphony for Everyone program, visit SpaceCoastSymphony.org or call toll-free (855) 252-7276.
ABOUT WINTLEY PHIPPS — Wintley Phipps is a world-renowned vocal artist, education activist, motivational speaker, pastor, and CEO and Founder of the U.S. Dream Academy. For his work at the U.S. Dream Academy, which provides support for the children of people in prison, he has received numerous service awards, among them: The Excellence in Mentoring for Program Leadership Award from MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnerships; the Oprah Winfrey Angel Network Use Your Life Award; and Philanthropist of the Year Award from The National Center for Black Philanthropy. For decades, he has traveled the world delivering messages of hope, advocacy, and equality to many thousands of people. A video of Phipps performing “Amazing Grace” has enjoyed many millions of views on YouTube. Notably, one of his most recent renditions of that same song came at the 56th Inaugural Presidential Prayer Service.
A two-time Grammy Award nominee, Phipps is no stranger to performing in front of distinguished audiences. In addition to President Barack Obama, other notable listeners have included former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, former South African President Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Oprah Winfrey. Phipps is also an internationally recognized speaker on behalf of the U.S. Dream Academy and young people, having completed speaking engagements in Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa, and North and South America. In recognition of his positive global impact through speaking, The National Speakers Association awarded Phipps the prestigious Master of Influence Award.
Born in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Phipps moved to Montreal at an early age and then studied at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in theology. He went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Phipps has three sons with his wife Linda Diane Galloway Phipps and currently serves as the senior pastor of the Palm Bay Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Palm Bay, Florida.
ABOUT THE SPACE COAST SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA— The SCSO is a lively and passionate Central Florida orchestra comprised of professional musicians, music educators and mentored amateurs of exceptional ability. The Orchestra was formed by Conductor and Artistic Director Aaron T. Collins with a two-fold mission: to provide mentoring and performance opportunities for Florida’s finest young musicians as well as to provide professional concerts at genuinely affordable prices. The ultimate goal of the organization is to help ensure the symphonic tradition for the enjoyment of future generations.
37-year old Aaron T. Collins is garnering recognition for his achievements. LEAD Brevard named the ambitious Collins one of their “4 under 40” Young Professionals, the youngest-ever recipient of the honor. Space Coast Business magazine listed him as one of Brevard’s “100 Most Admired Businesspeople.” Collins is a past recipient of the Richard A. Stark Award for cultural leadership from the Cultural Council of Indian River County. Through his personal involvement with more than a dozen performing arts groups, pioneering reciprocal ad program and social media cross promotions, Collins has gained a reputation for generosity; championing other arts organizations throughout Central Florida for the cultural enrichment of the community.
School-aged children 18 years and under are admitted free of charge, as are college students with a valid ID. In keeping with their mission, the symphony provides a unique Symphony for Everyone ticketing program, a “pay-what-you-can” option designed to provide substantially discounted admission to any Space Coast Symphony concert (PLEASE NOTE: availability may vary during Covid pandemic). Relying on a non-traditional orchestra model and a slim budget, the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra is one of only 19 U.S. orchestras to perform year-round. In addition to maintaining the Space Coast Symphony JAZZ Orchestra and Space Coast Symphony Wind Orchestra, the non-profit organization also has a youth orchestra and provides numerous separate and free ensemble performances. More information about the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming concerts, ticket sales, venues, directions and sponsorship opportunities is available at SpaceCoastSymphony.org by calling toll free (855) 252-7276.
upcoming concerts & programs —
2022
January 29 & 30 Hooray for Hollywood Part II: The best music from cinema classics.
March 5 & 6 Revolutionaries: Brahms & Shostakovich – Two emotional works explored.
March 19 SCSO Rocks: Rock & folk classics with MusicWorks and the SCSO JAZZ Orchestra.
April 23 & 24 Coast to Coast: A program that celebrates the beauty and power of nature.
May 21 & 22 Fan Favorites –the Great Ballets: A whirlwind tour of history’s greatest ballets.
