When celebration and culture intersect, community emerges.
Join us at Shoals, an immersive evening celebrating 25 years of Aquarium impact. Like its namesake collective — numerous species uniting to create momentum — Shoals is your opportunity to further explore the bonds that connect us and the bright future that awaits. Surrounded by thought leaders and visionaries from past and present, Shoals will highlight the Lowcountry’s diverse arts and culinary scene through special performances, small plates and a silent auction benefitting education, conservation and animal care.
Event Details
Saturday, April 26, 2025 | 7–11 p.m.
South Carolina Aquarium
Cocktail Attire
Tickets are $400 per person
Meet the Artists
Quentin E. Baxter
A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Quentin E. Baxter comes from a family of musicians. Baxter’s unique musical skillsets have garnered two GRAMMY awards and five total nominations as producer/performer, the South Carolina Governor’s Award for the Arts, the College of Charleston Alumnus of the Year Award, the Eddie Ganaway Distinguished Alumni Award, a City of Charleston Proclamation “Quentin E. Baxter Day” and induction into the Savannah Coastal Jazz Hall of Fame. Baxter is currently touring world-wide with multi-GRAMMY-nominated vocalist/composer René Marie and two-time GRAMMY Award winning Gullah sensation RANKY TANKY. Baxter’s passion for performing is paralleled by his dedication to educate, promote, produce and present world-class artists in the Lowcountry and beyond through the “Quentin E. Baxter presents…” concert series.
Charlton Singleton
Charlton Singleton, a native of Awendaw, South Carolina, began his musical journey at the age of three. A graduate of South Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Arts in music performance, he is a founding member of RANKY TANKY, a GRAMMY Award-winning quintet (2019, 2022) celebrating Gullah music. In 2021, Charlton received the South Carolina Governor’s Award, the state’s highest arts honor. He currently serves as artistic director of Charleston’s MOJA Arts Festival, highlighting African American and Caribbean artistry. Beyond music, Charlton and his wife, MaryJo, cherish their roles as parents to Shalamar and D’Marcus, as grandparents to Sophia Rose and as caregivers to their four pets.
Marcus Amaker
Marcus Amaker is a dad, husband, Charleston’s first Poet Laureate, an opera librettist and an Academy of American Poets fellow. In 2024, Amaker was inducted into the S.C. Literary Hall of Fame and included on a list of favorite poets in America by Literary Hub and WildSam. He’s published ten books, released 44 albums of electronic music and three albums with a two-time GRAMMY Award winner and is the graphic designer of the national bluegrass music journal, “No Depression.” Amaker’s work has been recognized by The Lexington Philharmonic, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Washington Post, The Gaillard Center, PBS News Hour, NPR, Button Poetry, Spoleto Festival USA, American Poets Magazine, The Kennedy Center and more. His re-written version of “My Country Tis of Thee” was used by the Washington National Opera for President Biden’s inauguration in 2021. Amaker is a member of BMI and the Recording Academy. His original opera, “The Weight of Light,” debuted in Chicago in 2024.