The Dream Unfinished | Representation as Resistance
The Dream Unfinished is an activist orchestra. Through an interactive and intimate recital, learn more about this NYC-based group of activists and artists using classical music as a platform to engage dialogues in social and racial justice. Featuring violinist Emily Kalish and pianist Kyle Walker.
Founded in 2015, The Dream Unfinished is an activist orchestra out of New York City. Their mission is to use classical music as a platform to engage audiences in dialogues surrounding social and racial justice. Their 2018-2019 season, Deep River, focused on the climate crisis. It included music from Erie's own Harry T Burleigh.
The Dream Unfinished's performances are never just performances. Their chamber concerts have included panel discussions, dramatic portrayals of their composers, and musician talk backs. Their orchestral performances have also included interactive art installations and speakers who have ranged from Kimberle Crenshaw, Vince Warren, to the late Erica Garner. In each season, The Dream Unfinished has partnered with social justice organizations, such as the Center for Constitutional Rights and Black Women's Blueprint, to promote their missions and ongoing campaigns in this work.
The performance will include:
Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Sonata No. 3, II. Rondeau
- Chevalier de Saint-Geroges was a champion fencer, classical composer, virtuoso violinist, and conductor of the leading symphony orchestra in Paris. He was also a black man.
- The presentation of this piece is intended to raise awareness of the school-to-prison-pipeline and how incarceration impacts voting rights.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, arr. Maude Powell: Deep River
- Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was an English composer and conductor. He was also a man of mixed race. His mother was English and his father was Sierra Leone Creole.
- The presentation of this piece is intended to raise awareness of climate change.
Roberto Sierra: Sonata, I. Expresivo
- Roberto Sierra is a composer of contemporary classical music. He is also a Puerto Rican man. In 2003, he was awarded the Academy Award in Music by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2017, Roberto was awarded the Tomás Luis de Victoria Prize, the highest honor given in Spain to a composer of Spanish or Latin American origin.
- The presentation of this piece is intended to raise awareness of climate change
Margaret Bonds: Troubled Water
- Margaret Bods was an American composer and pianist. She was also a black woman. She was one of the first black composers and performers to gain recognition in the United States. She is best remembered today for her frequent collaborations with Langston Hughes.
- The presentation of this piece is intended to raise awareness around the role black women played in the civil rights movement, and the role women of color continue to play today. It also raises awareness of voting rights for women of color in the United States.
Jessie Montgomery: Rhapsody I
- Jessie Montgomery is an American contemporary composer, chamber musician, and music educator. Her compositions focus on the vernacular, improvisation, language, and social justice. She is also a woman of color.
- The presentation of this piece is intended to raise awareness around the role black women played in the civil rights movement, and the role women of color continue to play today. It also raises awareness of voting rights for women of color in the United States.
Vijay Iyer: Bridgetower Fantasy
- Vijay Iyer is an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, producer, electronic musician, and writer. In 2013, he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. He became the Frankl D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts at Harvard University in 2014. He is also the son of Indian Tamil immigrants.
- The presentation of this piece is intended to raise awareness around immigration.
This event is Free but requires Registration. Seating is limited. Capacity 500
Doors open at 7:00 PM | Performance begins at 7:30 PM
Location:
First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant
250 West 7th Street | Erie, PA
