Affectionately called The Prince of Gospel, Joshua Nelson is both African American and Jewish. He is deeply committed to his faith and devoted to his love of gospel music. His voice bears a striking resemblance to the late Mahalia Jackson and he is recognized worldwide for his contribution to traditional gospel music.

At the age of 13, Nelson gained national prominence for his recording of the Mahalia Jackson tune, “How I Got Over,” which sold over 150,000 copies and was nominated for the Gospel Industry’s Stellar Award and a Grammy.
A native of East Orange, New Jersey, Nelson shares his life as a performer, gospel music director, Hebrew schoolteacher and scholar.

"Strange Fruit" the famous 1939 recording by Billie Holiday, is the subject of a revealing documentary film produced and directed by Joel Katz. The song, best known for its bitter and harrowing description of lynching, was written by Abel Meeropol, a New York City public school teacher and a Jew of Russian immigrant origin. Filmmaker Joel Katz joins us for a one on one interview about the unknown history "Strange Fruit," and its painful connection to the African-American post-slavery experience.

For more information on the film and upcoming screening events, visit www.njjff.org.

In the mid-1980's, music and art programs were severely cut from Camden Public Schools. A small group of concerned ministers and music teachers got together to fill the void by establishing a community school for the arts. The Camden School of Musical Arts started with three piano teachers and thirty students. We'll meet the teachers, students and see first hand how the school has grown over the years.

For more information on the Camden School for Musical Arts call (856) 541 - 6375.