Free Admission; Online Reservations Required athttps://www.ccocincinnati.org/healingunderstanding/

Additional time info:

Untold: Mary Lou Williams | Saturday, October 22, 2022

12:30 PM | Art Academy of Cincinnati | Lecture

Musicologist Tammy Kernodle will present a conversation on the music and untold stories of composer Mary Lou Williams.

Accelerating Music | Saturday, October 22, 2022

3:30 PM | Art Academy of Cincinnati | Lecture

Miles Wilson-Toliver, Artistic Director for the Voices of Hartford, and Kick Lee, Executive Director of the Cincinnati Music Accelerator will provide a conversation on equitable training and community support for professional musicians. Stop by for a cocktail and live music at Homemakers bar provided by the Music Accelerator between 2:00-3:15 PM before the event.

“Black Joy” | Saturday, October 22, 2022

5:30 PM | Online (Zoom) | Lecture

Tiffany Cooper and Jason Holmes will engage in a discussion and present online about “Black Joy” in the arts. Tiffany has worked for over 15 years in various community engagement roles has spearheaded initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Pop-Up Performances | Sunday, October 23, 2022

6:30-9:30 PM | National Underground Railroad Freedom Center | Performance

Self-guided tours of the Freedom Center will be complemented by pop-up performances throughout various locations in the venue by partner organizations, including Thomas More University Chamber Choir, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati’s MUSE, Cincinnati Men’s Chorus, Cincinnati Youth Choir, and the Cincinnati Boy Choir.

Equitable Access and Engagement of our Youth | Monday, October 24, 2022

12:00 PM | Art Academy of Cincinnati | Lecture

Arreon A. Harley-Emerson, President and CEO for Equity Sings and Chair of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Diversity Initiatives Committee, will share a conversation on equitable access and engagement of our youth for careers in the arts.

Equity, Community, and Inclusion in the Arts | Monday, October 24, 2022

7:30 PM | Nostalgia Wine Bar | Lecture/Concert

A conversation on equity, community, and inclusion in the arts will be led by acclaimed Harvard University vocal artist in-residence and Artistic Director for the Voices of Hartford, Miles Wilson-Toliver. The Voices of Hartford will provide short performances throughout the conversation.

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Socially Conscious Repertoire | Tuesday, October 25, 2022

3:30 PM | Online (Zoom) | Lecture

Composer B.E. Boykin and conductor Jason Alexander Holmes will lead a conversation on the integration of social justice for music in the classroom, concert hall, and community. Teachers of all grade levels are especially invited to join this session.

Black Women Composers | Tuesday, October 25, 2022

5:30 PM BlaCkCoffee | 8:30 PM Esoteric Brewing | Lecture

A presentation on Black women composers from Reconstruction to present will be led by Dr. Jillian Harrison-Jones.

We Are One | Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Christ Church Cathedral | 7:30 PM concert, 6:30 PM roundtable | Concert

A culminating performance including all organizations will feature works by several contemporary Black composers. Alysia Lee’s Say Her Name, a reference to the Kwanzaa ceremony and a commemoration of Black women killed as a result of systemic inequity, includes all treble singers and opens the program. A mournful Lyric for Strings, performed by the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, celebrates the accomplishments of George Walker, the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Joel Thompsons’ Seven Last Words of the Unarmed, written in 2016, frames humanizing texts from Black men wrongly killed by police over the past 15 years sung by chorus and string orchestra. Rosephanye Powell’s Cry of Jeremiah with full choruses and orchestra draws upon Old Testament passages including the prophet’s journey from abandonment to redemption. The work integrates the musical tradition of African American and classical musical traditions simultaneously. Visual Artist-in-Residence Michael Thompson’s culminating work created over the five days will be revealed at the end of the concert.

Repertoire:

Say Her Name - Alysia Lee

Lyric for Strings - George Walker

Seven Last Words of the Unarmed - Joel Thompson

Cry of Jeremiah - Rosephanye Powell

Daniel Parsley, Conductor and We Are One Artistic Director

This event is preceded by a roundtable discussion led by local arts and community leaders at 6:30 PM, planned to include clergy, artists, activists, and local organizations such as the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and ArtsWave. This conversation will be moderated by Kori Hill, musicologist and ArtsWave Impact Communications Specialist, and will include topics of historical inquiry, economic/social evaluations, and considerations of established judicial and governmental organizational structures. Musical presentations engage with under-consulted, diverse musical cultures in America to engage discussion through community and artistic expression.