“Black Keys” spotlights Black composers for a sold-out crowd

A sold-out crowd attended “Black Keys: The Evolution of the Black Classical Arts,” at the Schrott Center for the Arts on April 20, 2024. The event continued the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra’s (ICO) 40th Anniversary Season. The show included, “masterpieces spanning over three centuries, composed by Black contributors in classical music” including Nina Simone, Duke Ellington, Margaret Bonds, William Grant Still, Joseph Bologne and Harry Burleigh, according to an ICO media release. Performed and curated by ICO Creative Partner-in-Residence Joshua Thompson, “Black Keys” incorporated dance, powerhouse vocals and world class artistry and featured multi-hyphenate artist Ashlee “Psywrn Simone” Baskin, Kenyetta Dance Co. and saxophonist, composer and arranger, Jared Thompson. The program received local and national support including a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, support from Eskenazi Health, Frost Brown Todd, Herbert Simon Family Foundation, Glick Philanthropies and the Indianapolis (IN) Chapter of the Links, Incorporated. Genuine Wealth Advisors was the event’s title sponsor. “Black Keys” will be recorded and developed into a virtual music education program and offered for free to Indianapolis Schools. The post “Black Keys” spotlights Black composers for a sold-out crowd appeared first on Indianapolis Recorder.