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I’m starting off my Fall social season with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as the institution pays special tribute to Black American women composers. This is a genre I am highly interested in exploring as it never occurred to me that Black American women have been excluded from not only the conversation but special recognition with deep appreciation have often gone unnoticed overall when it comes to classical music. I look forward to sharing my experiences in discovering this largely ignored contribution to Americana.
Featuring Chaka Khan, Jasmin White, Jeri Lynne Johnson, J’Nai Bridges, Lidiya Yankovskaya, Linhan Cui, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Meshell Ndegeocello, Michelle Bradley, Michelle Cann, Nathaniel Gumbs, Resistance Revival Chorus, Rhiannon Giddens and many more
Humanities Events Curated by Mercedes Cooper for Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY, a Peabody Award-Winning Narrative Change Collective
Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Ford and REDCAT
October 30 to November 22, 2022
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association presents Rock My Soul, a festival celebrating both historical and present-day collaboration and community formed by Black woman-identifying artists, curated by soprano Julia Bullock and featuring performances by Chaka Khan, Rhiannon Giddens, J’Nai Bridges, Meshell Ndegeocello and many more from October 30 to November 22, 2022.
Inspired by the friendship between composers Florence Price and Margaret Bonds, whose mutual support helped them break down barriers to have their music heard in the classical music world of the early 20th century, Rock My Soul shines a light on the power of creative community.
Curated by Mercedes Cooper, Senior VP of Programming for Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY, Rock My Soul Humanities programs include a performance by and conversation with Grammy Award-winning musician and Queen Sugar composer Meshell Ndegeocello, the participatory event Movie Soundtrack Yoga led by R&B Yoga founder Lauren Spearman, and a live performance by J’Nai Bridges followed by the film Carmen Jones.
“We are proud to amplify the vast and very special artistry of Black women in collaboration with the LA Phil,” said Cooper. “This series seeks to rediscover and reflect on the abundant contributions made by Black women, past and present, across musical genres in relation to storytelling. Our hope is that this exploration through music, movement and motion pictures conjures new imaginations for our future voices.”
The Rock My Soul festival is generously supported in part by Margaret Morgan and Wesley Phoa.
The LA Phil’s Humanities Programs are generously supported by Linda and David Shaheen.
COMPLETE LISTING OF ROCK MY SOUL EVENTS:
Saturday, Nov. 5, at 10AM
The Ford (on stage)
Laying a foundation for creativity and collaboration through wellness, yogis at all levels are invited to join an open-air class led by Lauren Spearman, founder of R&B Yoga. The morning’s playlist will feature songs by Black women from film and television soundtracks.
Artist
Lauren Spearman, yoga instructor
Rock My Soul: Symphonies for Youth
Saturday, Nov. 5, at 11AM
Saturday, Nov. 19, at 11AM
Walt Disney Concert Hall
At the LA Phil, we believe in the power of music to spark imaginations and shape young lives. Our Symphonies for Youth (SFY) concerts invite children ages 5 to 11 to soak up the sounds of a world-class orchestra while experiencing the thrill of live performance. Come early for our popular self-guided art activities and fun for all ages throughout the space.
Artists
Linhan Cui, conductor
Program
Program to include symphonic works and new arrangements for voice and orchestra by Florence PRICE and Margaret BONDS.
A Musical Portrait: Price and Bonds
Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8PM
Sunday, Nov. 6, at 2PM
Walt Disney Concert Hall
From art songs to solo showpieces and symphonic excerpts, Julia Bullock curates an evening showcasing the enduring musical voices of Florence Price and Margaret Bonds.
Artists
Lidiya Yankovskaya, conductor
Julia Bullock, curator
Michelle Bradley, soprano
Jasmin White, mezzo-soprano
Michelle Cann, piano
Nathaniel Gumbs, organ
Program
PRICE Retrospection for Organ
PRICE The Oak
PRICE Symphony No. 4 in D minor
Andante cantabile
Juba. Allegro
PRICE Selected Songs
PRICE Selected Works for Solo Piano
PRICE (arr. Michael-Thomas FOUMAI) A Piece for Solo Piano and Orchestra, after Florence Price’s Fantasie nègre No. 1 (world premiere, LA Phil commission)
BONDS (arr. by Jannina NORPOTH) Selected Songs
BONDS Selections from Montgomery Variations
PRICE Organ Suite No. 1
Friday, Nov. 11, at 8PM
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Jeri Lynne Johnson leads a program that brings the historic fight for acceptance and dignity by Bonds and Price into conversation with the modern day.
Artists
Jeri Lynne Johnson, conductor
Julia Bullock, curator
Singer to be announced
Program to include
Courtney BRYAN Sanctum
PRICE/BONDS Selected Songs
Saturday, Nov. 12, at 8PM
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Both with The Carolina Chocolate Drops and in her own solo work, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens has used her art to excavate the past and reveal bold truths about our present.
Artists
Jeri Lynne Johnson, conductor
Resistance Revival Chorus
An Evening with Meshell Ndegeocello
featuring the music of Queen Sugar
Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 8PM
BP Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall
Join Meshell Ndegeocello—award-winning singer-songwriter, bassist and composer behind Ava DuVernay’s television series Queen Sugar—for an intimate evening of music and conversation.
Artist
with live performance by J’Nai Bridges
Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 7PM
REDCAT
Set to the music of Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen with updated lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Carmen Jones began its life on stage and was famously translated to film in 1954 with an all-Black cast led by the iconic Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte. This rare screening will be preceded by a live musical performance by Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, paying tribute to Dandridge’s towering performance.
Artist
J’Nai Bridges, mezzo-soprano
Program
BIZET Carmen Jones (1954)
Walt Disney Concert Hall
111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012
The Ford
2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Los Angeles, CA 90068
REDCAT: Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater
631 W. 2nd St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
For additional information about Rock My Soul, please visit: laphil.com/rockmysoul.
TICKETS & SAFETY INFORMATION
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the LA Phil’s website: laphil.com. Programs, artists, prices and dates subject to change. Ticket limits may apply.
Prior to attending, audiences are encouraged to view the LA Phil’s updated safety guidelines posted on the website: laphil.com/safety.
[…] journey into exploring hidden gems within the classical music world may have eventually led me to Florence Price and Margaret Bonds, but nearly 150 years before these two debuted their first musical pieces there was the prodigy […]