Rear View Mirror Sessions: Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway

Rear View Mirror Sessions: Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway

Arts + Public Life, in partnership with Soundrotation, Brain Trust Management, the UChicago Department of Music and Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, presents the 2025 Rear View Mirror Sessions. Since 2017, the Quintessential Listening and Lecture Series led by music historian and DJ Duane Powell has taken audiences on a journey through the lives of musical legends and heroes, from The Isley Brothers, Gladys Knight and Nina Simone, to Chaka Khan, Sly and the Family Stone, and Rick James. Each session features a special guest musical performer drawn from Chicago’s own rich talent and audience participation is always encouraged.

The 2025 season, “In Memoriam,” is a tribute to legends we’ve recently lost. We continue this fall with a celebration of Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. We lost Roberta’s defining voice in February of this year. October will mark her frequent collaborator Donny’s would-be 80th birthday.

After the session, we’ll be treated to a special tribute performance by genre-spanning vocalist Meagan McNeal and singer-songwriter Slique Jay Adams with Tony Cazeau on piano.

Doors open at 6 pm; the program starts at 6:30 pm. This event is FREE. Seating is first-come, first-served, so please arrive early.

All APL programs are free and open to the public. To help us continue to provide these programs and build a hub for arts & culture on the South Side, we appreciate donations of all sizes. Your support sustains the rich ecosystem of artists that make the Arts Block so vibrant. To make a donation, please visit our giving page.