KU School of Music to celebrate black composers with concert
Lawrence, KS - The KU School of Music is proud to announce the highly anticipated “Lift Every Voice Concert of African American Song” on March 10, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. This special event will honor and celebrate the contributions of black composers.
This is the 4th year for the event, which invites performers from the School of Music to take part. 20 soloists comprised of undergraduate and graduate students from the School of Music will perform songs by Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, Robert Owens, Duke Ellington, and more.
This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for music lovers of all ages to experience the beauty and impact of these songwriters.The performance is organized by Voice and Opera Associate Professor of the Practice Roberta Gumbel.
About the concert:
In 2020, inspired by the New York Times 1619 Project, the KU School of Music Voice Department presented a concert of African American Art Song. This concert was designed to recognize the wealth of music written for voice by underrepresented composers of color.
Since the success of the first concert, the concert has become an annual SOM concert in honor of black history and music. The concert also provides solo performance opportunities for any singer within the school whether they are performance majors, music education, music therapy, undergraduates or graduates.
Composers have included living composers such as H. Leslie Adams, Byron Motley, Valerie Sherrill, and Adolphus Hailstork as well as works by H.T. Burleigh, Florence Price, Duke Ellington, Eubie Blake, Robert Owens , and more.
Where to watch:
The concert is free and open to the community and takes place Friday, March 10th, at 7:30 p.m., and will be live streamed on the School of Music’s YouTube channel.