Sound Off: Music for Bail Presents OUR ANTHEM: AN ORCHESTRAL ACTIVATION

Bringing together an ensemble of 19 musicians, string quartet soloists, and conductor Christina Morris, Sound Off: Music for Bail will present an evening of music and discussion at the Church of the Village (201 W 13th St.) in collaboration with queer liberation organization Black and Pink NYC.

Featured speaker Jennifer Love Williams of Black and Pink NYC will speak about community advocacy, decarceration, and the need to support reentering citizens. In addition, Black and Pink NYC will lead audience members in a pre-show letter-writing event, connecting them to currently incarcerated queer individuals in need of support.

In choosing the works and composers for this concert, Sound Off sought to address the question: What does a national anthem mean for people historically treated as second-class citizens? Beginning with an original arrangement of J. Rosamund Johnson's "Lift Every Voice and Sing", commonly referred to as the Black National Anthem, the program explores the interlocking history of US racial policies and Black musical traditions through three leading American composers: Jessie Montgomery ("Banner"), Michael Abels ("Delights and Dances"), and Frederick Tillis, whose "Niger Symphony" will be receiving its NYC premiere.

General admission tickets are $20, and proceeds from this concert directly support musicians and speakers. Free tickets and livestream accessibility will be available upon request to remove financial and physical barriers to attendance.

Sound Off: Music for Bail is a POC-led collective of musicians, activists, and thinkers dedicated to combining music performance with educational work that envisions alternatives to the current state of policing and imprisonment in the United States. Sound Off: Music for Bail's concert programming during the 2023-2024 concert season is funded by community support and grants from the Surdna Foundation, the YoungArts Foundation, the Copland Fund, the Groupmuse Foundation's Planetary Music Movement, and NewMusicUSA's New Music Organization Fund.

More Information

Date/Time: April 5, 2024 7 PM

Venue: The Church of the Village, 201 W 13th Street, New York, NY 10011

Tickets: General Admission: $20; Groupmuse Supermusers: $15

http://grpm.us/lv8ztg

Livestream

https://youtube.com/live/Pgvjq1RZqZM?feature=share

https://musicforbail.com/calendar/

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