Reflecting on the Past…Reaching toward the Future, II

E. V. Moore Building (University of Michigan) 1100 Baits Dr., Ann Arbor, Michigan

This conference focuses on the curation of music of the African Diaspora for future research and performance from September 12-15, 2019. Through a series of lectures, panels and performances by leading scholars, composers and performers, attendees will discuss rediscovered operas, have conversations on the newly created operas on African American themes, hear a workshop performance […]

It’s Ladies’ Night–Spirituals by Women Composers

Carman Center, Mayflower Community 616 Broad St., Grinnell, IA, United States

Soprano Randye Jones and pianist Marlys Grimm present a mini-program of spirituals by Margaret Bonds, Florence Price, Maria Thompson, Undine Smith Moore, Julia Perry and Betty Jackson King.

Must You Be Black to Sing Spirituals?

Marshelltown Public Library 105 W Boone St, Marshalltown, IA, United States

Author and musician Randye Jones will discuss the question of whether non-Black singers--either soloists or choirs--should study and perform Negro spirituals. She will spend some time on historical concerns, on points to consider when deciding whether to study spirituals and on some thoughts about using dialect in performance. Jones’ presentation will serve as an opportunity […]

Carry Me Home: A Story of the Underground Railroad Told in Song

First Presbyterian Church 220 N. 2nd Ave. E., Newton, IA, United States

A concert of Negro spirituals performed by soprano Randye Jones and pianist Marlys Grimm. The spirituals, set by composer Harry T. Burleigh, along with excerpts from slave narratives, tell a story of the historic Underground Railroad and the escapees who took the perilous journey to freedom.