The Peru Gazette

Morris-Yedid Norelus

Sooner Than Before

Celebration of local black artists and culture.

(PLATTSBURGH, NY – Strand Center for the Arts is proud to host A Night of Black Excellence a celebration of local black artists and culture in our beautiful historic theatre on Saturday, May 27, 6-9 pm. Local musical acts and spoken word poets will be performing on our stage, while local visual artists will also be on display to showcase their work.

“In my seven years living in Plattsburgh, I have rarely seen any events catering to black arts and culture outside the college. As a Bi-POC artist, I wanted to bring visibility to other Bi-POC artists and let Plattsburgh know that we are here and proud to be here.” — Angelika Morris (aka GELLIE), Event Organizer & Performing Artist.

Participating artists include Sooner Than Before, Morris Norelus, GELLIE, Winosha Steele, & more!

Morris-Yedid Norelus is a keyboardist and beatmaker. His music is a blend of hip-hop, jazz, and neo-soul, with a production style revolving around catchy loops and the use of samples.

Sooner than Before is an entirely instrumental hip-hop band consisting of keyboardist Morris Norelus on piano and samplers, drummer and producer Josue De Luna Hilario, and bassist Edward Morris. Together, they bring a gospel-like soulfulness and a hip-hop fan’s

sensibility to the ears of Plattsburgh, NY. Catch them Sooner than Before!

The event is FREE, and donations to the artists are encouraged.

“When Angelika [Morris] approached me about her idea for A Night of Black Excellence, my immediate response was ‘Yes!’ and, ‘I wish I thought of that!’ The pitch for this event honestly came from a realization that the Strand didn’t have events planned for Black History Month

back in February and Angelika’s desire to change that. Rather than forcing an event last minute, we decided to plan something for this spring. I’m very proud of the team we’ve created here at the Strand, and something that we’re striving for more and more every day is not only creating a space where everyone feels welcome but intentionally creating a space for everyone in our community.” — Megan Charland, Artistic Programming Director, Strand Center for the Arts.