(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Love + Unity Week & Festival is a week-long celebration that took place throughout West Orange from May 13-18, 2024. The festival hosted a diverse range of FREE events for families. West Orange Town Council issued a proclamation Honoring the 9th Annual Love + Unity Festival.
As part of the non-profit organization, Music Village, Founder Carl Brister presented five high school students who are rising artists with scholarships. The Block Party, a platform for these talented individuals, highlighted the five New Jersey High School students who were awarded $500.00 each. Three students are from West Orange, one from Montclair, and another from Holmdel. These students, with their exceptional talent and dedication, are a beacon of hope for our community, and their performances at the block party before being awarded their scholarship are a testament to their hard work and potential.
(Left to Right) The Scholarship Winners - Hadassah Jackson, Montclair High School; Nicole DiBlasi, Holmdel High School; Music Artist and Love + Unity Founder, Carl Brister; Yuxin Li, West Orange High School; Justice Cillo-Smith, West Orange High School; Daniella Aghahowa, West Orange High School. Photo courtesy of Love + Unity Festival
The festival presented a diverse range of FREE events for people of all ages to participate – events included Chalk The Walk, Community Fun Day, Share Your Story, "Expressions" of Love+Unity—Open Mic Night of Poetry & Spoken Word, "United We Laugh" Love+Unity Comedy Show, and Love In Motion: A Night of Cultural Dance.
The Love + Unity Festival was founded in 2016 by Recording Artist Carl Brister, that brings together people of diverse backgrounds through the arts, music, courageous conversations, and cultural displays. It is produced by Music Village, a NJ non-profit 501 3(c) organization Carl founded in 2019 and culminates with the 9th Annual Love+Unity Music Fest, a full day of performances featuring artists from a variety of genres. Music Village also provides needs-based scholarships to rising young students of the arts who are invited to perform at The Love+Unity Fest. "Our goal", Brister adds, "is to empower aspiring artists & to inspire unity in the community through music and the arts."
Carl Brister is an international recording artist and multi-genre singer/songwriter who has been featured on NBC’s Access Hollywood, ABC’s Here and Now, BET, Aspire Network, and more. His passionate lyrics and multi-range vocal stylings tell stories that connect with listeners around the globe.His 2023 break-out rendition of superstar Janet Jackson’s classic “Let’s Wait Awhile” showcases his sensitive yet dynamic vocal range and approach. Carl also received a 2023 first-ballot Grammy® nomination in the categories of Best Traditional R&B Performance and Best Video which he executive produced.
Recently, Carl was awarded for his leadership in the community through the arts by The Human Relations Commission of West Orange, NJ. In 2016, Carl began The Love+Unity Fest with the purpose of bringing the community together through music and the arts after acts of racial intolerance threatened to divide the nation. As CEO of his non-profit organization, Music VilCarl adds, “No matter the twists and turns, ups or downs, my work as an artist in the community and my music will always lead us back to hope and love.”
As a survivor of a tragic incident of sexual abuse by a trusted family friend as a child, Carl knows the challenges of trauma and has been an advocate for Child Abuse Prevention through his music and community outreach involvements. His acclaimed songs “Trauma” and “Enough Is Enough” speak profoundly to global challenges and were both in consideration for the 2023 Grammy for “Best Song for Social Change” award.Married to his college sweetheart, and a proud dad of two sons, family is often the subject of Carl Brister’s music. His songs “Turning Point”, “Pray for Me”, “Daddy’s Angel”, and “Uncomplicated Love (Let’s Go Back)”, are but some of his top streaming singles on Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, Amazon, and more.
