WQXR Presents a Quarantine Concert by the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra

Tonight at 9pm, WQXR will air a special concert performance from the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra.

The program will feature music by Adolphus Hailstork, Florence Price, and Michael Abels, as well as a unique arrangement of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," by James Cockerham (original composition by J. Rosamond Johnson) performed by the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra recorded live at the Kodak Theater in Rochester, NY. The concert is presented as part of the station's ongoing weekly "New York in Concert" series that features concerts recorded live at New York City and regional performance venues.

WQXR will also release a companion video featuring a performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" recorded by members of the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra from their homes.

For 27 years, Gateways Music Festival's mission has been to connect and support professional classical musicians of African descent and enlighten and inspire communities through the power of performance. Through a series of more than 50 orchestra and chamber music concerts in Rochester, NY, Gateways creates a space where black musicians are heard, affirmed, and celebrated.

"This is an extraordinary time in the history of the United States and the world," said Lee Koonce, President & Artistic Director of Gateways Music Festival. "The musicians of Gateways expressed a strong desire to participate in this important moment and to do so in a way that was meaningful to them -- through music. From their homes in the US and some in other parts of the world, the mere image of the Gateways musicians says this music is ours, we have something important to say and we invite you to listen. We are extremely grateful to our friends at WQXR for helping to bring this project to fruition -- and we look forward to continuing our work together in the future."

"WQXR is honored to partner with Gateways Music Festival on this project," said Matt Abramovitz, Vice President of Programming, WQXR. "Their ongoing commitment to championing artists of African descent is a model for how to make a more equitable future for classical music. I hope this will be the first of many collaborations that will spotlight the voices that the classical world needs to hear from more."

"New York in Concert" airs every Thursday at 9pm on WQXR 105.9 FM in New York and online at WQXR.org. The video performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" can be viewed below!

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