Music of The Unsung America: One Night Two Premieres

Music of the Unsung America, a new concert and conversation series featuring Black artists of history and today that explores the deep roots and extraordinary range of music created and performed by Black musicians, reveals a beautiful truth about our history. “Music of The Unsung America: One Night Two Premieres” will occur at the Historic St. Agnes Episcopal Church in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 6pm CT | 7pm ET.

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The program:

The performance will culminate in an audience talk-back with conductor-composer, Joseph Jones, discussing his life, music, and journey in the arts. Tickets for the in-person performance can be purchased in advance for $10 on Eventbrite using this link, https://tinyurl.com/TwoPremiereOneNights; tickets at the door are $15. Music of the Unsung America will also stream the performance virtually. At home viewers can register for the “virtual experience” online using this link, https://tinyurl.com/TwoPremieres. For more information, visit www.americaunsung.org or on Facebook @ Music of The Unsung America.

The New Canon Chamber Collective string orchestra and chamber choir, featuring some of the best and brightest performing artists in South Florida, will perform the concert under the baton of Joseph Jones. The New Canon Chamber Collective Ensemble roster includes Vocalists, Christine Jobson, soprano; Christine Jobson Soprano- Soloist; Erica Williams, Soprano; Isis Roberts, Mezzo; Jania Harden, Mezzo; Andres Lasaga, Tenor; Albert Lee, Tenor; Angel Refuse, Bass – Soloist; Rohan Smith, Bass; Instrumentalists: Chelsea Sharpe, Violin; Victoria Joseph, Violin; Lakeisha Frith, Violin; Sheena Gutierrez, Violin; Vishnu Ramankutty, Viola; Alexandra D’Amico, Viola; Chava Appiah, Cello; Benjamin Bush, Cello; Portia Dunkley, Double Bass; and Kevin Wayne Bumpers, Piano.

Music of the Unsung is an annual multi-event concert and conversation series that features a wide spectrum of Black musicians from the classical arts for and from the South Florida community, including Joseph Jones and Dwight Banks’ works. Working with the American Composers Forum (ACF) – as part of their ACF I connect program – Music of the Unsung launched a call for scores to identify Jones and Banks for this opportunity. ACF is offering creative and administrative support for the development and launch of the full series over the next year. As a 2019 Knight Arts Challenge winner with lead funding from the John S. and James L Knight Foundation, Music of the Unsung America was launched by double bassist and entrepreneur Portia Dunkley. The mission of Music of the Unsung is to address the need for more diverse representation in South Florida in classical music arts. In 2021, Portia Dunkley co-founded, with AngelRefuse’, The New Canon Chamber Collective Inc., a non-profit, South Florida-based chamber ensemble, to further this mission.

The New Canon Chamber collective is committed to social justice by creating an artistic platform that truly prioritizes building community through the classical music arts and genuinely reflects the rich cultural landscape of South Florida.