Hub Quick Hits: Midlands poet chosen for new composition
Carnegie Hall debut set for March
Image by Jason Rapp/SCAC
Letters from black women sought in a nationwide call for submissions are being set to music and will be premiered March 11 at New York’s Carnegie Hall by Grammy(R) Award-winning soprano Karen Slack.
Columbia-based poet Traci Neal informed The Hub that a letter she submitted is being included in Letters to America, which helps commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“The significance of this work on the heels of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and its presentation in the Classical space — a place that has excluded and diminished the artistic contributions of black women — cannot be understated,” writes composer Brittany J. Green. “Through this project, black women whose voices have been ignored, misunderstood, and shut down will have the opportunity to hear their voices, stories, and experiences center stage, inviting audiences to see America through the eyes of black women.”
Letters to America places the voices of present-day black women in conversation with American historical documents through community-sourced letters like Neal’s, reimagining historical American documents through the lens of black women. Slack and the American Composers Orchestra will premiere the new work at Carnegie Hall on March 11.
