Charlton Singleton, a founding member of the two-time Grammy Award-winning band Ranky Tanky, on Wednesday is being named artistic director of the MOJA Arts Festival, a multi-disciplinary festival produced by the City of Charleston’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
Singleton will assist in presenting the 2023 festival and guide the artistic planning and program development for future events, city officials said.
“I am honored and grateful for this opportunity to be the artistic director of our beloved MOJA Arts Festival,” Singleton said.
The MOJA Festival is produced in partnership with the MOJA Planning Committee, a volunteer community arts and cultural group. The festival highlights African-American and Caribbean cultural heritage. MOJA also includes an educational outreach component focused on area public schools, seniors and community centers.
“Charlton Singleton has proven himself time and again to be an innovator, a collaborator and a champion of all things Charleston. I can’t think of a better artist to help us take MOJA to the next level,” said Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg.
Singleton is a vocalist and trumpeter with the popular band Ranky Tanky, a quintet that interprets the sounds of Gullah culture. As a performer, Singleton leads his own ensembles that vary in size and style.
A native of Awendaw, Singleton began his musical studies at the age of three on the piano. He later studied the organ, violin, cello and the trumpet throughout his schooling. In 1994, he earned a degree in music performance from South Carolina State University. Since then, he has taught music in elementary, middle and high school classrooms. He was also an adjunct faculty member at the College of Charleston.
In 2008, he co-founded and became the artistic director and conductor of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra. He is the artist in residence emeritus at the Charleston Gaillard Center and organist and choir director at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Charleston.
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