Photo: Ruth Walz Josephine Baker was born into poverty in the early 1900s in St. Louis, Missouri, at a time when open discrimination against black people was enshrined in the Jim Crow laws. By the age of 12, she had dropped out of school and, within a year, was married. Fast forward to the mid-1920s, and she was the toast {…}
Photo Credit: Kaveh Kowsari TAK Ensemble will give a concert featuring a new work by composer Tyshawn Sorey. Currently in residency at the University of Pennsylvania, TAK will premiere Sorey’s new work “For jamie branch” in its Philadelphia debut in the upcoming concert. Sorey’s piece was co-commissioned by the New York Philharmonic. Also on the program is Natacha Diels’ “Second {…}
Bass-baritone Davóne Tines is set to bring his “Recital #1: Mass” to Shriver Hall in November of 2022. Joined by pianist Adam Nielsen, Tines will present music by Bonds, Sorey, Shaw, Bach, and Eastman, among others. “There’s something that is shared among all people. This recital is an opportunity for me to marry flavors together and have that conversation in {…}
Composer and instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey has signed a publishing agreement with Edition Peters. Winner of a 2015 Doris Duke Impact Award, a 2017 MacArthur Fellowship, and a 2018 United States Artists Fellowship, Sorey’s work has been performed by such organizations as John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, the Ojai Music Festival, {…}
Tulsa Opera has announced an additional performance of its “Greenwood Overcomes” program on May 2, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. CT. The program is also being performed on Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. That first showcase will be streamed on the company’s official website. In a press release, the company cited “high demand” as the reason for adding its {…}
Opera Philadelphia Composer in Residence Tyshawn Sorey is set to present “Save the Boys.” The song cycle is inspired by an 1887 poem by abolitionist, writer, and Black women’s rights activist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. The 20-minute piece was composed for renowned countertenor John Holiday and pianist Grant Loehnig who will perform the piece for the Opera Philadelphia Channel, launching {…}
Opera Philadelphia Channel has commissioned four of today’s most dynamic composers to create and premiere new works to be streamed on the channel. The company announced the news ahead of its digital platform launch. The first premiere, slated for January 2021, will be composed by Opera Philadelphia Composer in Residence Tyshawn Sorey. Subsequent premieres will be composed by Courtney Bryan, Puerto Rican-born composer {…}
(Credit: John Rogers) Tyshawn Sorey has been named Opera Philadelphia’s New Composer-in-Residence. His residency, which is set to begin in Nov. 2019, will be the first of a new phase of the company’s renowned program. In his residency, Sorey will work with a wide range of singers in different phases of their respective careers in order to develop his understanding {…}
