Pity These Ashes: Tulsa 1921-2021

Overview

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, The Greene Space in partnership with The Harlem Chamber Players, Harlem Stage and the Harlem School of the Arts presents Pity These Ashes: Tulsa 1921-2021. This Juneteenth streamed concert will feature the world premiere of Adolphus Hailstork’s Tulsa 1921 (Pity These Ashes, Pity This Dust), as well as compositions by Jessie Montgomery, Alice Coltrane, and Trevor Weston.

The performance will include soloists mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, violinist Lady Jess, WQXR host and author Terrance McKnight, harpist Ashley Jackson, and conductor Amadi Azikiwe leading the Harlem Chamber Players.

Watch an excerpt from Adolphus Hailstork’s Tulsa 1921 (Pity These Ashes, Pity This Dust) performed by J’Nai Bridges:

Leadership support for The Greene Space’s Artist-in-Residence program is provided by:

MetLife

This program is also sponsored by the Alice Ditson Fund of Columbia University.

Jessie Montgomery Starburst
Alice Coltrane Prema for Harp and Strings
arranged by Tom Cunningham of Urban Playground Orchestra and Ashley Jackson
Adolphus Hailstork TULSA 1921 (Pity Theses Ashes, Pity This Dust)* for Mezzo-Soprano and Chamber Orchestra
*World Premiere – libretto by Herbert Woodward Martin
Trevor Weston The People Could Fly for Violin Solo, Narrator and Strings
(Based upon an African-American folktale by Virginia Hamilton; featuring dancers from Harlem School of the Arts)

The Harlem Chamber Players are an ethnically diverse collective of professional musicians dedicated to bringing high-caliber, affordable and accessible live classical music to people in the Harlem community and beyond. In addition, The Harlem Chamber Players seek to build an audience for classical music in general through community and educational outreach, as well as through collaborations with Harlem’s other arts organizations, schools and cultural institutions, while creating opportunities for classically trained musicians of color.

Harlem Stage is the performing arts center that bridges Harlem’s cultural legacy to contemporary artists of color and dares to provide the artistic freedom that gives birth to new ideas. For nearly 40 years, Harlem Stage has stood at the intersection of art and social justice with a singular mission to perpetuate and celebrate the unique and diverse artistic legacy of Harlem and the indelible impression it has made on American culture. We provide opportunity, commissioning and support for artists of color, make performances easily accessible to all audiences and introduce children to the rich diversity, excitement, and inspiration of the performing arts. For more information, visit: www.harlemstage.org

New York City’s premier community arts institution, the Harlem School of the Arts at the Herb Alpert Center stands uniquely apart as the sole provider of arts education in four disciplines: music, dance, theatre, and art & design, all within our award-winning 37,000 square foot facility. The School’s reputation for artistic rigor and excellence attracts students of diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds from the five New York City boroughs as well as Westchester County and the tri-state area, which includes Connecticut and New Jersey. HSA’s alumni and faculty are counted among the most talented leaders in the arts.

For over 50-years HSA has enriched the lives of tens of thousands of people through world-class training in the arts. HSA offers its students the freedom to find and develop the artist and citizen within themselves in an environment that teaches discipline, stimulates creativity, builds self-confidence, and adds a dimension of beauty to their lives, empowering them to become creative thinkers and innovative leaders of tomorrow. To learn more about the Harlem School of the Arts, please visit www.HSAnyc.org.

Harlem Chamber Players Orchestra

Amadi Azikiwe, conductor

Violins: Ashley Horne (co-concertmaster), Claire Chan (co-concertmaster), Philip Payton, Josh Henderson, Ellen Gronningen, Maiani DaSilva, Lauren Cauley, Francisco Salazar, Sandra Billingslea, José Pietri-Coimbre, Garry Ianco, Majid Khaliq, Eddie Venegas, Charlene Bishop
Violas: William Frampton, Aundrey Mitchell, Nicole Wright, Heather Faust
Cellos: Wayne Smith, Robert Burkhart, Leo Grinhauz, Melissa Westgate
Basses: Anthony Morris, Roger Wagner
Harp: Ashley Jackson
Vibraphone/Suspended Cymbal/Bass Drum: Scott Still

Soloists

J’Nai Bridges, mezzo-soprano
Lady Jess, violinist
Terrance McKnight, narrator
Ashley Jackson, harpist

Dancers from the Harlem School of the Arts

Melanie Acevedo
Eden Arrington-Mouzone
Evan Blake
Devin Graves
Bless Goode
Jayda Hill
Jabari King
Trinity Korpi
Max Malachi
Kendall McDowell
Maliha Ramhadan
Walter Russell III
Victoria Serra
Alexia Stewart
Jaylynn Vann
Dylan Van Putten

Production Team

The Harlem Chamber Players
Liz Player
Andrew Sotomayor

The Greene Space at WNYC & WQXR
Ricardo Fernandez
Jennifer Keeney Sendrow
Ed Haber
Marika Hacking
Rachael Hacking
Christine Herskovits
David McLean
Terrance McKnight
Utsuki Otsuka
Francesco Saviano
Emma Wagner
George Wellington

Harlem School of the Arts
Claudia Camacho
Aubrey Lynch
Eric Pryor
Mia Simon
Leyland Simmons
Yolanda Wyns

Harlem Stage
Pat Cruz
Eric Oberstein