BRATTLEBORO-The Brattleboro Music Center (BMC) Chamber Series continues Saturday, May 2, at 7 p.m. with Castle of Our Skins’ concert entitled “And, Perhaps, To Bloom.”
The program “explores the driving will cast deep in the heart and blood of a people seeking freedom, life, humanity, and peace,” wrote organizers in a news release. “Their mass exodus — be it to swamps to form maroon societies or the Great Migration to the North and Midwestern cities like Detroit — were arduous journeys to find a place where, perhaps, they may bloom.”
The Great Migration is a story of movement, said Castle of Our Skins Artistic Director Ashleigh Gordon. “It was, but as Richard Wright described in his memoir, Black Boy, the Migration was an opportunity to grow into something new. This program reflects such transformation: seven branches of the bountiful tree that is Black classical music in the United States.”
Born out of the desire to foster cultural curiosity, Castle of Our Skins members say they are dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music. From classrooms to concert halls, Castle of Our Skins centers Black arts, culture, and history in each curated event, musical selection, and artistic collaborator chosen.
The musicians for this event are Philip Lima, baritone; Grant Houston and Matthew Vera, violins; Ashleigh Gordon, viola; Jing Li, cello; and Sarah Bob, piano.
The concert will be preceded by a talk at 6:15 p.m. led by Gordon. The talk will focus on the music in the program, as well as the concert inspiration, The Great Migration.
Tickets are $30 general admission and are available at bmcvt.org, 802-257-4523, and info@bmcvt.org.
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