(Credit: Jessica Osber Photography)

Opera Saratoga has announced that it will present “A Tribute to Langston Hughes” on May 21, 2021 as part of its America Sings Digital Concert Series.

The showcase, which will stream via the company’s official website, will star baritone Justin Austin and pianist / composer Damien Sneed as they take on music by Margaret Bonds, Robert Owens, Ricky Ian Gordon, and Damien Sneed.

The concert is free, though audiences are encouraged to contribute through a virtual tip to support Opera Saratoga and the artists.

Austin, an alumnus of Opera Saratoga’s Young Artist Program has appeared with a number of major artists including Aretha Franklin, The Boys Choir of Harlem, Mary J. Blidge, Elton John, Lauryn Hill, The Roots, 30 Seconds to Mars, John Cale, Ricky Ian Gordon, Damien Sneed, Kanye West, and jazz legends Reggie Workman, Hugh Masekela, and Wynton Marsalis, among others. He took on the leading role in “Intimate Apparel,” an opera by Lynn Nottage and Richy Ian Gordon that was co-commissioned by the Lincoln Center Theater and Metropolitan Opera.

Sneed is a renowned performer and composer whose numerous works include the operas “Marian’s Song” and “The Tongue and the Lash.”

The concert kicks off at 7 p.m. ET.