Juneteenth LP Announces Expanded Programming for Annual Celebration At Joe's Pub

Renowned New York City based musical collaborative - Juneteenth LP (formerly known as The Juneteenth Legacy Project) - today announced the expansion of its popular annual Juneteenth Celebration concert at Joe's Pub to include a week of events in commemoration of America's newest federal holiday.

Made possible by a 2022 Chamber Music America Artist Grant underwritten by the Howard Gilman Foundation, this year's celebration will highlight the works of underrepresented Black composers and reinforce the collective's commitment to sharing the music of the African Diaspora through the unique lens of Black classically trained musicians with a focus on access, outreach and community building.

Curated by Juneteenth LP Founder and Artistic Director Nnenna Ogwo, the week will kick off on Tuesday, June 14 at Cary Hall at the DiMenna Center with Counter/points: The Black Vanguard exploring the concept of counterpoint through the lens of noted Black composers and their works. The evening will include the world premiere of the Piano Quintet by the prolific 20th Century composer Ulysses Kay.

On Friday, June 17, Juneteenth LP will take the festivities Uptown to the Bronx for A Juneteenth Celebration in the Bronx: Songs in the Keys of Our Lives. To be held at the Bronx River Arts Center, the show will feature works by artists such as William Grant Still, Valerie Capers; Mongo Santamaria, Silk Sonic, Stevie Wonder and more. The celebration will culminate on Juneteenth, June 19, with A Juneteenth Celebration with Joe's Pub, a free, outdoor concert on Astor Place Plaza featuring a multi-artist line up followed by a special presentation of Juneteenth LP's 7th Annual Juneteenth Celebration at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater.

"Juneteenth is first and foremost a celebration of freedom, but in the case of our particular Juneteenth concert, it is a celebration specifically of what Black musicians did and continue to do with that freedom," said Ogwo. "We celebrate and honor the women and men from then to now, who against all odds chose a life of creativity in music by picking up a violin, a conductor's baton, or a composer's pen. Juneteenth LP's events always feature a broad range of the music of the Black Diaspora, but more importantly, their events are a joyful fête."

The Juneteenth LP's Annual Celebration event at Joe's Pub was born not only out of the desire to celebrate Freedom Day, but also to introduce audiences to the often under-represented repertoire of the Black Diaspora. The significance of such a concert on this date is profound. On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, Union Army General Gordon Granger stood on the balcony of the Ashton Villa and read General Order No. 3 announcing the complete emancipation of slaves as articulated in the Emancipation Proclamation. His reading of the order, buttressed by the presence of a few thousand Union soldiers, announced and guaranteed the freedom of every slave.

Juneteenth LP Musicians: Erika Banks, soprano; Frédérique Gnaman, violin; Daniel Constant, violin; Patrick Page, viola; Eric Cooper, cello; Nnenna Ogwo, piano

JUNETEENTH LP SCHEDULE

COUNTER/POINTS: THE BLACK VANGUARD

Date: June 14, 7:00 pm

Location: Cary Hall at the DiMenna Center for Music - 450 West 37th Street New York, NY 10018

Tickets: $35 for general public, $20 for seniors, $15 for students at juneteenthlp.org

This concert will explore the concept of counterpoint through the lens of noted Black composers and their works. While most of the programmed composers use counterpoint to great effect, Juneteenth LP is also intrigued by the interplay of the works programmed in counterpoint to each other. Whether it is a conversation between Still's Panamanian Dances and Capers' Songs of the Seasons or one between the singular haunting beauty of a Duke Ellington arrangement and a micro-quartet by Ogwo, the exchange will be expansive and illuminating. The world premiere of the Piano Quintet by the prolific 20th Century composer Ulysses Kay will anchor this dynamic conversation.

A JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION IN THE BRONX: SONGS IN THE KEYS OF OUR LIVES

Date: June 17, 7:00 pm

Location: Bronx River Arts Center (BRAC) - 1087 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx, NY 10460

Tickets: Free & Open to the Public, but you must register to attend at juneteenthlp.org

Juneteenth LP will take the festivities Uptown to the Bronx for a special night honoring the rich legacies of artists across the Diaspora and covering a diverse range of musical stylings from pop to afro-jazz to classical to R&B and funk. To be held at the Bronx River Arts Center, the show will feature works from contemporary artists such as Valerie Capers, Mongo Santamaria, Silk Sonic, Stevie Wonder and more.

A JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION WITH JOE'S PUB

Date: June 19, 2:00 pm

Location: (Outdoors) Astor Place Plaza between Lafayette Street and Broadway

Tickets: Free & Open to the Public; no registration required.

Juneteenth LP in collaboration with Make Music New York presents this free, outdoor concert featuring a multi-artist line up at Astor Place Plaza between Lafayette Street and Broadway. Performances by Juneteenth LP, Carmen Rodgers, and Nikara Warren Presents Black Wall Street.

JUNETEENTH LP'S 7th ANNUAL JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION AT JOE'S PUB

Date: June 19, 7:00 pm

Location: The Public Theater (425 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003)

Tickets: $25 at juneteenthlp.org; there is a 2 drink or $12 food minimum per person at Joe's Pub.

Now in its seventh year, Juneteenth LP's annual celebration at Joe's Pub has become a staple in New York City. This event was born out of the desire to not only celebrate my birthday doing the thing that I love most, playing concerts, but also to introduce audiences to the often under-represented repertoire of the African Diaspora. Juneteenth is first and foremost a celebration of freedom and in the case of our particular Juneteenth concert, it is a celebration of what black musicians did and continue to do with that freedom. This year we will not only perform our regular blend of recognizable popular tunes and classical music, but we will also present a few newer works that will introduce our audiences to composers from the Diaspora that defy classification and blur the lines of musical genres altogether.

Since its inception in 2019, the Juneteenth LP has been committed to sharing the music of the African Diaspora through the unique lens of Black classically trained musicians with a focus on access, outreach and community building. Continually pushing boundaries in their musical and lecture offerings, the collective brings together unexpected classical music and brilliantly crafted arrangements of more popular repertoire for a refreshing take on live performances and educational music experiences. For more information, visit juneteenthlp.org

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