The Apollo announced honorees for this year’s Spring Benefit, the historic theater’s largest annual fundraising event taking place on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Clive Davis, one of the most celebrated creative forces in music history, will receive the Legacy Award and be inducted into The Apollo’s legendary Walk of Fame. Teyana Taylor, the multi-talented singer, songwriter, actor, and director, will receive the inaugural Innovator Award, recognizing her trailblazing contributions to music, film, and culture. The 2025 Spring Benefit will also be The Apollo’s final fundraiser in the historic theater before embarking on the first full-scale renovation and modernization in its 90-year history. 

This year’s event will be a multi-generational celebration of The Apollo’s legacy highlighting the significant role the venue has played in the careers of thousands of Black artists; from giving them a literal stage to launch their careers to a place to make a living doing what they love. 

The renovation marks a reemergence and true modernization of the iconic venue, honoring its rich legacy while enhancing the audience experience and ensuring it continues to serve as an epicenter of American and global culture. The creative elements of this year’s Spring Benefit will fold in the designs of the soon to be renovated space, offering attendees a preview of what awaits when the Theater reopens in Summer 2026.

“For generations, The Apollo has been a beacon of culture and community in Harlem and around the world,” said Michelle Ebanks, President & CEO of The Apollo. “This year’s Spring Benefit is a celebration of that legacy and the artists and visionaries shaping what’s next. It marks the final time audiences will experience our legendary theater as it stands today, before we begin the first full-scale renovation in our 90-year history. As we honor the past and embrace a bold future, this evening will uplift the trailblazers who have shaped The Apollo and offer a powerful glimpse into the renaissance to come.”

“To be recognized by The Apollo, an institution that has launched and celebrated so many of the artists I’ve admired and worked with throughout my career, is deeply meaningful to me,” said Clive Davis. “I am truly honored to receive the Legacy Award and to join The Apollo’s Walk of Fame.”

“Growing up in Harlem, The Apollo has always been a source of inspiration and Black excellence,” said Teyana Taylor.“Being honored in my hometown, by this iconic institution, is beyond anything I could have dreamed.”

Marking the nonprofit organization’s storied reputation as a home for artists and a champion of Black culture, the evening will feature a tribute to the late Richard Parsons, one of corporate America’s most prominent Black executives and long-time Chair of The Apollo Board of Directors. The tribute will feature an appearance by 8x Grammy nominee, The Baylor Project. The evening will also feature special performances by Deborah Cox, Shoshana Bean, and others performing special tributes to Clive Davis, with multi-platinum Grammy award-winning recording artist Monica presenting the special honor. Martha Redbone and Grammy-winning singer Avery Sunshine will open the benefit show, which will be musically directed by Emmy winning Music Director, Grammy-winning producer, Tony Award nominated orchestrator, two-time Image Award winner, Adam Blackstone. Additional performances by 4x Tony award nominee, Camille A. Brown & Dancers among others will be featured throughout the evening. After the performances, guests will move to the afterparty featuring the return of D-Nice as the DJ for the evening. Additional appearances and performances will be announced in the coming weeks. 

The Apollo’s 2024-2025 Season has featured signature programs, audience favorites, and exciting new works from artists pushing the boundaries of their art forms – from music and dance to theater, film, and beyond. 

All proceeds will support the non-profit organization’s year-round, world-class artistic, education, and community programs, as well as its commitment to articulating and projecting the African American narrative using arts and culture, and creating a 21st century performing arts canon. 

The Spring Benefit begins with red carpet arrivals at 4:30 PM followed by the Benefit concert and awards ceremony at 7:00 PM. The evening will also include the event’s afterparty, designed by celebrated event designer and Apollo Board member Bronson Van Wyck.

Watch for upcoming announcements as The Apollo unveils a thrilling line-up of special honorees and performers. Visit www.ApolloTheater.org for more information. To purchase benefit tickets, make a donation, or for more information, visithttps://www.apollotheater.org/benefit-2025.

About The Apollo  

The legendary Apollo—the soul of American culture—plays a vital role in cultivating emerging artists and launching legends. Since its founding, The Apollo has served as a center of innovation and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world. In 2024, The Apollo opened The Apollo Stages at the Victoria Theater, marking the first ever expansion

 in its 90-year history. The Apollo also has plans to renovate its Historic Theater. For more information about The Apollo, visit www.ApolloTheater.org.

With music at its core, The Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, spoken word, and more. This includes the world premiere of the theatrical adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me and the New York premiere of the opera We Shall Not Be Moved; special programs such as the blockbuster concert Bruno Mars Live at the Apollo; 100: The Apollo Celebrates Ella; and the annual Africa Now! Festival. The non-profit Apollo is a performing arts presenter, commissioner, and collaborator that also produces festivals, large-scale dance and musical works organized around a set of core initiatives that celebrate and extend The Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens, including the Women of the World (WOW) Festival as well as other multidisciplinary collaborations with partner organizations.

Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, The Apollo has served as a testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms and has ushered in the emergence of many new musical genres—including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. Among the countless legendary performers who launched their careers at The Apollo are Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, H.E.R. D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Jazmine Sullivan, Machine Gun Kelly, and Miri Ben Ari; and The Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy. For more information about The Apollo, visit www.ApolloTheater.org.

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