Centenary partners with local music collective for Black History Month concerts
SHREVEPORT, LA — Students from Centenary’s Hurley School of Music will perform with members of Shreveport’s Carrefour Collaborative Music Project in a concert series celebrating Black History Month. The concerts, entitled “Communal Voices, Communal Hope,” are scheduled for Sunday, February 5, at 3:00 p.m. at Holy Cross Episcopal Church and Monday, February 6, at 12:00 p.m. in Anderson Auditorium at the Hurley School of Music. Both concerts are free and open to the public.
Music for the February 5 concert will be performed by students in the Singers' Workshop at the Hurley School of Music as well as local musicians Brett Andrews, Michele Gunn, Borys Smolaga, Trevor Davis, and others. Local schools, as well as community members, will be invited to enjoy the lunchtime concert at Centenary on February 6, which features singers and musicians from the Hurley School of Music.
"’Communal Voices, Communal Hope’ is a concert that exclusively features music by Black composers,” explained Robert Cruz, one of the founders of the Carrefour Collaborative. “Works by pioneers from the first half of the 20th Century like Florence Price and Harry Burleigh stand side-by-side with works by contemporary composers like Damien Sneed and Shawn Okpebholo. Taken together these pieces provide a portrait of artists finding their voice and giving expression to the tenacious hope in the face of struggle that is at the core of the Black experience.”
The Carrefour Collaborative Music Project, based in Shreveport, was founded in March 2020 with a mission to connect audiences to live musical performances amid the challenges brought by COVID-19 lockdowns. Today, Carrefour is dedicated to fostering a vibrant and sustainable cultural life in Shreveport and surrounding communities by promoting local artists, showcasing an intentionally inclusive repertoire, and cultivating pride in collaborative community achievement.
"We are thrilled to partner with Carrefour Collaborative Music Project on this series of concerts featuring exclusively Black composers,” said Dr. Janani Sridhar, assistant professor of music and director of the Singers’ Workshop at Centenary. “Our students will have the opportunity to be coached on this repertoire with guest artist, Mr. Jonathan Walker-VanKuren, during his residency at Centenary in early February. Then, they will partner with professional musicians in the concert at Holy Cross Episcopal Church.”