Paul Robeson House Hosts 120th Birthday Concert April 8

PRINCETON, NJ — The Paul Robeson House of Princeton will celebrate Paul Robeson’s 120th birthday with a benefit concert on Sunday, April 8, 3 p.m., at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton. A reception follows the concert.

Baritone Keith Spencer will present selections from an actual Robeson performance in 1956 in New York. Robeson’s granddaughter, Susan Robeson, will be the guest of honor. She will tell stories about her life and times with her grandfather.

The Paul Robeson House of Princeton is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. The house at the corner of Witherspoon and Green streets has been the focal point for advancement of the African American community in Princeton for over 100 years, according to the website for the house. It belonged to Rev. Drew Robeson. His son, Paul, was born there in 1898. Paul Robeson was a singer and actor who became involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

His granddaughter, Susan Robeson, is an award-winning author, filmmaker and broadcast journalist, and has produced programs extensively for public television stations and network affiliates in New York City. She has worked with street gangs around the nation documenting efforts to organize peace treaties, and spent time in post-apartheid South Africa training activists on broadcast-quality video production. She is the co-founder of Third World Newsreel, an independent film production and distribution collective.

Susan Robeson has been a visiting professor at several colleges and is an adjunct professor in the communications department at William Paterson University. She is the author of “The Whole World In His Hands: A Pictorial Biography of Paul Robeson,” and the forthcoming children’s book “Grandpa Stops a War.” She lives in New York City, where she is producing her first dramatic feature film and is the head of the Paul Robeson Foundation.

"We are very fortunate to have Susan Robeson as our special guest at this event, and we look forward to hearing her share personal remembrances of her grandfather,” Paul Robeson House Board of Directors President Benjamin Colbert said in a release announcing the event.

Spencer has pursued his love of the stage and concert performances in many Philadelphia area venues, including the Bristol Riverside Theatre, the Act II Playhouse, the Prince Music Theatre, the Hedgerow Theatre, and the Broadway Theatre of Pitman. His national tour highlights include the Broadway tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Music of the Night” with Betty Buckley and Melissa Manchester. He is also a highly acclaimed cabaret concert artist and appears regularly in various ensembles.

Recently, Spencer launched “Brothers on Broadway,” a blend of concert and musical theatre works saluting the journey of African-American stage performers from minstrel days to present times. He is currently workshopping an extension of his gospel and American spirituals programming in “The Robeson Songbook: A Negro Spiritual and Gospel Celebration of the Music of Paul Robeson.” Paul Robeson House Board of Directors Vice President Denyse Leslie first heard Spencer perform last year at an exhibition showcasing Paul Robeson’s legacy at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie.

“Keith Spencer’s performance of Paul Robeson's repertoire of spirituals was inspiring. He engaged the audience with song, and with storytelling between songs that demonstrated his familiarity with Paul Robeson's life,” Leslie said. “We’re delighted that he can join us on this special day to celebrate Paul Robeson’s life and legacy, and support our efforts to preserve his childhood home.”

“We are grateful for the support of individuals, Princeton organizations and local business owners who have made this event possible,” Colbert said. “The rehabilitation of the home where Paul Robeson was born will preserve an important part of Princeton’s history, serve as a lasting memorial to the challenges and opportunities faced by African Americans and the underserved worldwide, while supporting future generations.”

Tickets for the concert are $75 each, and can be purchased online at thepaulrobesonhouseofprinceton.org. Online reservations will be taken through April 5. Reservations can also be made by phone through the Witherspoon Presbyterian Church Office at 609-924-1666. All proceeds will benefit the Robeson House renovation project and program activities. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are still available for the concert. For more information, call 609-955-4640.

The attached images of Susan Robeson and Keith Spencer were provided by the Paul Robeson House