From Dina Washington to Earth Kitt, René Marie embodies the spirit and sophistication of the great female jazz vocalists. This Spoleto Festival, Marie will perform set including new original music.
Vocalist, actress, and songwriter René Marie is a passionate performer who carefully selects every song she sings. She launched her career in music in 1999 with her self-released debut album Renaissance. She found success quickly, earning acclaim and awards, including the Best International Jazz Vocal CD by France’s Academie Du Jazz. In 2008, she played Dina Washington in the Shadow Theater’s production of Dina Was. She earned a Grammy nomination for her 2013 album I Want to be Evil: With Love to Eartha Kitt. Marie’s 2016 release Sound of Red is her first album of all original material. At the Spoleto Festival, she will also perform a commissioned work called “Be the Change,” inspired by the community response to the nine murders in Charleston’s Emmanuel AME church. René Marie performs Sunday May 29 at 7pm at the Charleston Gaillard Center.