Russell Joel Brown will be performing his final Augusta Concert, before moving to New York, at The Augusta Jewish Museum’s 2^nd Annual Fundraiser.  Velvet Voices: Then and Now will be on November 12, 2023 at 3:00pm at the Adas Yeshurun Synagogue, located at 935 Johns Rd, Augusta, GA 30904. The concert honors the memory of Civic Leader Susan Steinberg, who was a strong local advocate for AJM.

Tickets for the concert are $50 per person or $100 for VIP, which includes admission to a special VIP reception with Russell Joel Brown after the concert. Tickets are available online at AugustaJewishMuseum.org.

“Velvet Voices: Then and Now” features popular Broadway star Russell Joel Brown celebrating the music of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Luther Vandross, Gregory Porter and more. Special guest musicians include The Brownstown Gritty.

An Augusta native, Russell Joel Brown is best known locally for his sold-out “From Mozart to Motown” concerts, as well as his over a decade-long tour with The Lion King. A veteran actor, singer, and dancer Russell has performed on Broadway in “Smokey Joe’s Café”, “The Scarlet Pimpernel”, “Big River” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’”.  He also sang as a featured guest at the funerals of Thurgood Marshall, Arthur Ashe, Cab Calloway, and Dizzy Gillespie. Russell will be returning to the NY theater scene to manage productions on Broadway and internationally. His contributions to the arts and arts organizations in Augusta, as well as his work mentoring young people as Director of Boys (+1 Girl) With A Future, a program of Good Neighbor Ministries, have left an indelible mark on this community.

Support of the concert will assist the Augusta Jewish Museum in raising funds to save and restore the historic Synagogue Building, the future AJM Cultural Center located on Telfair St in Augusta. The funding effort continues, which will include a beautiful event venue, collection management area, community room, and additional display space. The museum currently functions through their AJM Education Center, formerly the historic Court of Ordinary building. Donations can be made online at the Museum’s website.

The mission of the Augusta Jewish Museum is to reclaim and restore the original Congregation Children of Israel Synagogue, the oldest standing synagogue in Georgia, and re-purpose it as a Museum and Center for Education. The adjacent historic Court of Ordinary which is an early fireproof building in Georgia, once preserved Richmond County’s records. As part of the new Augusta Jewish Museum, it will collect, preserve and interpret the rich evidence of the Jewish experience in Augusta, GA, Aiken, SC and the rest of the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) and will educate, challenge and inspire audiences of all ages and backgrounds. The Augusta Jewish Museum is located at 525 Telfair Street in Augusta, Georgia. To contact Museum staff to schedule a tour, call (706)426-1542 or email [email protected].

To learn more about The Augusta Jewish Museum please visit AugustaJewishMuseum.org.