Malachi Brown & Sugar Hill Salon
Malachi Brown is a versatile cellist and composer who brings a distinct neo-Romantic sensibility to his interdisciplinary work across concert music, film, and animation. For his Recomposing America project, ACF has commissioned Malachi compose a new chamber work for Sugar Hill Salon titled It’s Black, It’s U.S. The collaboration highlights the uniquely American notion of Black/Afro-American music within the historical context of Harlem’s impact on American culture. The septet featured on the performance includes violinist Frédérique Gnaman, violist Javen C. Lara, cellist Rahel Lulseged, flutist Meghan Bennett, clarinetist Richard Adger, bassoonist Alexander Davis, and hornist Priscilla Rinehart.
About the Commission
“It’s Black, It’s U.S.” is a play on the phrase “For Us, By Us,” from the apparel brand FUBU. The piece is a love letter to Harlem as a center for Black creativity. The abstract musical narrative considers the subtle yet ongoing gentrification of the neighborhood as an example of more widespread gentrification of Black culture. Weaving together Malachi’s personal experiences with Black historical narratives, the composition celebrates the beauty that shines from Black culture in a world that often refuses to recognize its glorious nature.
It’s Black, It’s U.S.: World Premiere
Wednesday, Jun. 17, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
The Africa Center
1280 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10029
Malachi on “It’s Black, It’s U.S.”
Malachi Brown and the Sounds of U.S.
“[My commission] speaks to the gentrification of Harlem — of Blackness — since the inception of this country. It’s telling a story from a localized level, but you can see it from the broader picture of Blackness as a whole.”
About Malachi Brown
Malachi Brown is a versatile cellist and composer from Norfolk, Virginia. He studied music composition and cello performance at Old Dominion University and Ithaca College. A devoted advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration, Malachi brings a distinct neo-Romantic sensibility to his work across concert music, film, and animation. “My goal is to write exactly what I hear in my head,” he says. In 2023, he shared stages with Toshi Reagon, Sigur Rós, and Ellie Goulding, with a highlight being his Lincoln Center debut in Reagon’s The Parable of the Sower. His film scores have earned multiple honors, including festival selections for And Don’t Forget I Love You and the international debut of The Candy Lady. A member and resident composer of the Dream Quartet, Malachi thrives on collaboration and often merges singing with cello performance. He currently resides in New York City, continuing to expand his multifaceted artistic career.
About Sugar Hill Salon
Sugar Hill Salon is one of the first chamber music series and artistic collectives that centers on Black and Brown wind artistry in classical music. They are a Black and queer-owned organization that offers free public concerts in Harlem, on the traditional territory of the Lenapehoking, that showcase wind repertoire that lacks representation within “traditional” chamber programming along with uplifting Black and Brown musicians performing them. Through commissioning chamber works and monthly concerts featuring artists on the scene, Sugar Hill Salon is decolonizing classical music for a more equitable future for Black and Brown communities. They have performed and have been featured on Harlem Stage, Dance Theatre of Harlem, WQXR Radio, WQXR Pride with Thorgy Thor, The Metropolitan Museum, Park Avenue Armory Education, Connecticut Summerfest, Loisaida Festival, Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival, NEK Classical Series, Queens New Music Festival, The Met Cloisters, and Caramoor Center.
This program was supported by a grant from Jerome Foundation.