Sound Off: Music for Bail presents Our Anthem: An Orchestral Activation
$20 ($15 Supermusers)
- Justus Ross, violin soloist
- Josh Henderson, violin soloist
- Kayla Williams, viola soloist
- Angelique Montes, cello soloist
- Christina Morris, conductor
Jessie Montgomery — Banner
Michael Abels — Delights and Dances
Frederick C. Tillis — Niger Symphony (NYC premiere)
Note: Music begins at 7pm, and there is a pre-show letter-writing event at 6pm that all attendees are invited to!
Bringing together an ensemble of 19 musicians, string quartet soloists, and conductor Christina Morris, Sound Off: Music for Bail presents 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 re-entering 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.
Proceeds from this concert directly supports musicians and speakers. Free tickets and livestream accessibility will be available at request to remove financial and physical barriers to attendance.
About Sound Off: Music for Bail
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 U.S. Their online programming includes free and low-cost instrument workshops, masterclasses with expert musicians, and concerts that raise funds for cash bail across the country.
http://facebook.com/musicforbailAbout Justus Ross, violin soloist
About Josh Henderson, violin soloist
About Kayla Williams, viola soloist
About Angelique Montes, cello soloist
About Christina Morris, conductor
Christina Morris has her BA in Music Theory. She began studying conducting at the age of 16. Christina would go on to study under Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas as a conducting apprentice of the 2018 National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America. In 2019 she conducted at the Miami Music Festival as a participant of their Conducting Institute lead by Maestro Mark Gibson. During the Winter of 2020 she conducted with the Monteux School of Music under Maestro Michael Jinbo. Christina has recently attended the Tanglewood Music Festival Conducting Seminar led by Maestro Stefan Asbury and Maestro Andris Nelsons, the summers of 2021 and 2022. Additionally, she participated in conducting masterclasses held by the New World Symphony under the mentorship of Maestro Neeme Järvi in spring of 2022 and Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas in the fall of 2022. As Christina envisions a hypothetical industry that is inclusive and equally receptive to different cultures, approaches, and experiences, she uses art as the tool it was created to be. By not only herself, but by a community promoting inclusiveness, we can all contribute to a change that empowers us all to pursue our passions as classical musicians. Christina’s overall goal as an artist is to engage and expose the classical music community to the possibility of change through systemic reconstruction, one beat at a time.