黑料网

KENNESAW, Ga. | Feb 7, 2023

Five diverse performances, including one from student organization, celebrate Black heritage

黑料网 Bailey School of Music will celebrate Black History Month with a festival of five concerts, beginning Feb. 17 and running through Feb. 25. 鈥淢oving Forward, Together鈥� features a myriad of creative talent, including choral, jazz, orchestra, gospel, and even an interdisciplinary production. 

鈥淭he Blueprint: #BacktoBlack鈥�
On Friday, Feb. 17, the Black Musicians Coalition will kick off the festival with an evening dedicated to Black history: 鈥溾�� The student organization hopes to positively influence the experiences of Black students at the Bailey School of Music. 

The Coalition鈥檚 president, Sydnee Goode (senior, Choral Music Education), says that it鈥檚 鈥渋mportant that Black musicians have a safe space to just鈥�be.鈥� Recent activities over the past year have included cookie decorating, a Friendsgiving dinner, and a couple of nights of Karaoke. Goode hopes that the KSU community will continue to recognize that Black musicians attending the university are magic. 鈥淲e are the blueprint,鈥� she explains. 

Award-winning Organization
KSU formally recognized them last year, as the Coalition won numerous awards, including Student Group of the Year, and the Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion Award in the student group category. Goode has been surprised by the 鈥渋mpact that we have on each other and the KSU community. We created this interdisciplinary production to invite all Black creatives to create and share their brilliant ideas with the world.鈥� 

, Interim Dean of the College of the Arts, says, 鈥淲e are so proud of Sydnee and all the student leaders of the Black Musicians Coalition. 鈥楾he Blueprint鈥� is a wonderful, collaborative celebration of Black History Month that engages students from across our College and KSU.鈥� 

鈥淢oving Forward, Together鈥�

The idea behind 鈥淢oving Forward, Together鈥� was born out of the Bailey School of Music. Composer/musician , the faculty advisor for the Black Musicians Coalition and a music professor at 黑料网, explains that 鈥渨e are all on this journey together. The things that happened in the past鈥攆or example, slavery鈥攁nd the collision between the two cultures produced the music of the blues, which led to jazz and R&B, and then rock music. That鈥檚 the music that came out of suffering, the music that we export to the globe.鈥� 

Jackson explains why it鈥檚 important for KSU 鈥渢o value the music [the students] grew up with, are interested in, or are culturally invested in. So, when students can put forward their own music, it not only brings them joy, but also legitimatizes it; it reaffirms that their music has value.鈥� He notes that there is a symbiotic relationship between diverse audiences and programming. 

F.T.M.O. Tyrone Jackson
On Monday, Feb. 20, the Faculty Jazz Parliament will play featured music from Jackson鈥檚 numerous CDs. He says, 鈥淭his is an opportunity to invite folks to our campus for a great concert.鈥� Some selections include pieces written with African movements; he鈥檚 excited that 鈥渙ur jazz faculty is so large, that we have every instrument we need: vocals, horns鈥攊ncluding two saxophones, a jazz trumpet, and a jazz trombone鈥攑lus guitar, bass, and, of course, drums.鈥� 

He has released four CD鈥檚, including his latest one, 鈥淔.T.M.O Tyrone Jackson,鈥� (From The Mind Of鈥�) which he describes as a 鈥渨onderful collaboration with a lot of different people.鈥� The CD is available on numerous music platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify. 

Highlighting Black Excellence
Next up for the Black History Month Festival is 鈥淟ift Every Voice鈥� on Tues., Feb. 21, featuring the Chamber Singers, Chorale, Treble Choir, and Men鈥檚 Ensemble. This concert will feature a myriad of soloists as well as collaborative songs. On Friday, Feb. 24, , director, will lead Jazz Ensemble I, featuring Arlington Jones, piano, Jorge Ginorio, drums, and Jes煤s Castro-Balbi, cello. 

New Collaborations
The week will end with a moving concert by the KSU Symphony Orchestra, led by , and the KSU Gospel Choir, led by . This is the first time that the Symphony Orchestra and Gospel Choir have shared the stage. 

Parker says, 鈥淚鈥檓 very excited about this performance, programmed in collaboration with my amazing colleague, Oral Moses. All pieces on the program were written by Black composers, but the repertoire reflects several different eras, ranging from Florence Price鈥攖he matriarch of Black American composers鈥攖o the world premiere of a new work written by KSU alumnus, Nicholas Felder. It also showcases a spectrum of Black and Black-influenced musical styles: the spiritual, gospel music, contemporary art music, and, in Daniel Bernard Roumain鈥檚 work, hip-hop and spoken word. I can鈥檛 wait to share this diverse and thought-provoking program with our audience.鈥�

Tickets Now on Sale
Tickets for 鈥淭he Blueprint: #BackToBlack鈥� are $5 for students and $8 for adults and are available . Tickets and reservations for all other concerts are available at MusicKSU.com or by calling 470-578-6650. 

--Kathie Beckett