WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.859 Hi everyone, this is Yukimi, host and producer 00:00:02.859 --> 00:00:06.160 of The Piano Pod. In this special bonus episode, 00:00:06.519 --> 00:00:10.380 I am honored to welcome back Dr. Nena Ogwo, the 00:00:10.380 --> 00:00:13.679 brilliant pianist, educator, and founder of Juneteenth 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:17.300 LP. Juneteenth LP is more than a concert series. 00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:20.120 It's a movement that reclaims space for Black 00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:23.420 classical musicians by centering history, celebrating 00:00:23.420 --> 00:00:26.579 legacy, and creating a future rooted in liberation 00:00:26.579 --> 00:00:30.300 and joy. As the organization marks its 10th anniversary 00:00:30.300 --> 00:00:33.299 this year, Nena reflects on the journey from 00:00:33.299 --> 00:00:37.280 its beginnings at Joe's Pub to becoming a powerful 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:39.939 platform for education, performance, and community. 00:00:40.259 --> 00:00:43.619 We talk about what inspired her to launch Juneteenth 00:00:43.619 --> 00:00:47.259 LP, what audiences can expect from this year's 00:00:47.259 --> 00:00:50.460 milestone concert, and why honoring Black voices 00:00:50.460 --> 00:00:53.539 in classical music is essential, not just in 00:00:53.539 --> 00:00:56.780 June, but all year round. So, let's dive in. 00:00:57.770 --> 00:01:00.670 Thank you so much for being here. And first of 00:01:00.670 --> 00:01:03.109 all, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation 00:01:03.109 --> 00:01:05.790 to you and your organization, Juneteenth LP, 00:01:05.989 --> 00:01:08.750 for sponsoring the final episodes of The Pianopods 00:01:08.750 --> 00:01:12.950 Season 5. It truly feels like the perfect way 00:01:12.950 --> 00:01:15.950 to wrap up this season, dedicated to authenticity 00:01:15.950 --> 00:01:18.959 and joy with your support and vision. Thank you 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:21.359 for having us. And it's our honor and our pleasure 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:24.540 to sponsor the last two episodes of what has 00:01:24.540 --> 00:01:27.379 been a stellar, stellar season. We have been. 00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:30.780 enthralled by the guests they have been absolutely 00:01:30.780 --> 00:01:34.000 spectacular oh yeah thank you so much i appreciate 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:37.180 your really support now we're featuring two remarkable 00:01:37.180 --> 00:01:41.379 guests this last month and dr leah clayborne 00:01:41.379 --> 00:01:45.519 on june 3rd and our season finale would be with 00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:49.480 dr maria thompson corley both conversations were 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:53.200 deeply inspiring and it's all thanks to you nana 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:56.349 for bringing us together You give me too much 00:01:56.349 --> 00:01:59.430 credit, but they are wonderful people. And we 00:01:59.430 --> 00:02:02.290 were very fortunate to have that all come together 00:02:02.290 --> 00:02:05.549 in the way that it did. And I'm so glad that 00:02:05.549 --> 00:02:07.450 you got to, I'm glad that you personally got 00:02:07.450 --> 00:02:10.389 to meet them, but also I'm glad that the larger 00:02:10.389 --> 00:02:13.110 community is going to get to meet them and know 00:02:13.110 --> 00:02:16.150 them as the people that they are, but the musicians 00:02:16.150 --> 00:02:18.090 that they are and the educators that they are. 00:02:18.539 --> 00:02:22.300 All together. Oh, incredible people. And I'm 00:02:22.300 --> 00:02:26.139 just feeling so fortunate. So now for those who 00:02:26.139 --> 00:02:30.900 may be new to Dr. Ogwo Nena's work, if you haven't 00:02:30.900 --> 00:02:33.960 heard our full conversation with her from last 00:02:33.960 --> 00:02:37.300 season, season four, episode four, where I got 00:02:37.300 --> 00:02:40.960 to invite and interview Nena. Was it season four 00:02:40.960 --> 00:02:43.400 or was it season three? Season four. The only 00:02:43.400 --> 00:02:48.009 last season. I know. Oh, my gosh, you're right. 00:02:48.289 --> 00:02:51.270 Yeah, but the thing is, it was toward the early 00:02:51.270 --> 00:02:54.069 season four, so it feels like a really long time 00:02:54.069 --> 00:02:58.349 ago. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I encourage you, my 00:02:58.349 --> 00:03:00.669 friends who are listening and tuning in today, 00:03:00.750 --> 00:03:02.909 to go back and listen to her episode. You can 00:03:02.909 --> 00:03:05.909 find the episode link in the description. Today, 00:03:06.030 --> 00:03:08.330 I just wanted to take a few minutes to highlight 00:03:08.330 --> 00:03:12.889 Juneteenth LP, Dr. Ogwo's amazing, amazing organization, 00:03:13.150 --> 00:03:16.530 The Ensemble, and then her passion project. that 00:03:16.530 --> 00:03:19.430 grew out of her first Juneteenth concert celebration 00:03:19.430 --> 00:03:24.430 10 years ago at Joe's Pub, a cornerstone of New 00:03:24.430 --> 00:03:28.110 York's creative music scene. So let's start with 00:03:28.110 --> 00:03:31.250 the basics, Lena. For anyone just discovering 00:03:31.250 --> 00:03:34.129 the Juneteenth LP, what does that organization 00:03:34.129 --> 00:03:38.030 do and how does it carry out its mission? Well, 00:03:38.129 --> 00:03:42.270 this ensemble was born out of this concert that 00:03:42.270 --> 00:03:47.789 I gave. In 2016, I was invited to be a part of 00:03:47.789 --> 00:03:51.469 Toshi Reagan's Good Folks series at Joe's Pub. 00:03:51.849 --> 00:03:56.449 And it was originally supposed to be the preceding 00:03:56.449 --> 00:03:59.349 year, but my mother passed away in that year 00:03:59.349 --> 00:04:03.590 in the spring. And so, of course, I didn't do 00:04:03.590 --> 00:04:10.210 it that year. And it was a very hard thing because 00:04:10.210 --> 00:04:15.500 I wanted to do a Juneteenth show. And so the 00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:19.459 following year, my mother and I were very close. 00:04:19.480 --> 00:04:22.660 So that hit me very, very hard. And, you know, 00:04:22.699 --> 00:04:26.860 Toshi's a really sort of intuitive and compassionate 00:04:26.860 --> 00:04:29.720 person. And so I was talking to her about it 00:04:29.720 --> 00:04:31.740 and she just sort of said in a very kind way, 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:34.500 do you want to share the show? You know, sort 00:04:34.500 --> 00:04:37.040 of not have to carry the whole thing yourself. 00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:41.939 And I kind of just said, you know, yeah. And 00:04:41.939 --> 00:04:47.689 so. I shared the set with Juliet Jones, a fabulous 00:04:47.689 --> 00:04:51.730 violinist, arranger. And at the time she lived 00:04:51.730 --> 00:04:55.870 in New York. Now I think she's based in LA. And 00:04:55.870 --> 00:04:59.930 so we put on this show and it was an amazing 00:04:59.930 --> 00:05:03.790 experience. And what was significant about it, 00:05:03.790 --> 00:05:06.870 aside from it being great and great fun, was 00:05:06.870 --> 00:05:12.370 that in Juliet's set, There was a cellist performing 00:05:12.370 --> 00:05:16.930 named Eric Cooper. And the following year, I 00:05:16.930 --> 00:05:20.389 came back and I shared this show with Tarek El 00:05:20.389 --> 00:05:26.350 Sabir, a fabulous singer -composer. And so I 00:05:26.350 --> 00:05:30.209 asked Eric if he would be on my set that year. 00:05:30.470 --> 00:05:33.930 And he agreed. He was really into it. And so 00:05:33.930 --> 00:05:39.689 he was on my set that second season, that second 00:05:39.689 --> 00:05:44.860 year. And we had a great time again. And he said 00:05:44.860 --> 00:05:46.240 to me, I think that what you're doing is really 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:48.680 special. And I just want you to know that whatever 00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:52.879 you decide to do, I want to support you. And, 00:05:53.060 --> 00:05:59.240 you know, he's younger than I am. And I don't 00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:02.500 know about how old you are, but, you know, my 00:06:02.500 --> 00:06:05.740 generation did not actually work collaboratively. 00:06:06.730 --> 00:06:11.290 Right. And and we definitely we were we we were 00:06:11.290 --> 00:06:15.610 raised to sort of hoard our resources and not 00:06:15.610 --> 00:06:19.589 share opportunities. And, you know, if you if 00:06:19.589 --> 00:06:21.910 you found out about something, you didn't tell 00:06:21.910 --> 00:06:24.529 other people about it. You just sort of kept 00:06:24.529 --> 00:06:29.110 it to yourself and you, you know, sort of a scarcity 00:06:29.110 --> 00:06:33.029 mindset. And his generation is a little bit different. 00:06:33.089 --> 00:06:36.050 And they're very much like, we support our friends 00:06:36.050 --> 00:06:38.269 and we see someone doing something really good 00:06:38.269 --> 00:06:41.430 and we support them. And we, you know, we sort 00:06:41.430 --> 00:06:44.529 of like put our backs to the task together and 00:06:44.529 --> 00:06:48.209 collaborate. And so I didn't really respond to 00:06:48.209 --> 00:06:52.689 him saying that right away. Right. And he had 00:06:52.689 --> 00:06:56.810 to say it to me a few times for me to say, okay. 00:06:57.920 --> 00:07:01.459 You know, like I really couldn't respond to that. 00:07:01.579 --> 00:07:05.860 And so then when I finally, and we had worked 00:07:05.860 --> 00:07:08.680 with a singer, we brought in a singer and she 00:07:08.680 --> 00:07:13.240 said the same thing. And so then I finally, so 00:07:13.240 --> 00:07:15.240 then all of a sudden I had a little bit of a 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:19.639 team and we were like, oh, I think we're doing 00:07:19.639 --> 00:07:22.319 this. And so the next season, we were basically 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:26.959 an ensemble that. So the third season was when 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:30.720 Juneteenth LP was basically an ensemble that 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:33.240 presented that concert. And we weren't official 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:36.620 that year. We weren't official until 2021. But 00:07:36.620 --> 00:07:40.120 that was basically the year that we came together 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:44.540 in this sense of we present Black music and we 00:07:44.540 --> 00:07:53.129 present Black music with this focus on... introducing 00:07:53.129 --> 00:07:55.889 the audience to black classical composers and 00:07:55.889 --> 00:08:00.730 then also playing all kinds of genres so that 00:08:00.730 --> 00:08:03.709 the space is welcoming to anybody who happens 00:08:03.709 --> 00:08:06.610 to come in and they aren't intimidated by a classical 00:08:06.610 --> 00:08:08.709 space like I don't know what this music is and 00:08:08.709 --> 00:08:11.189 I feel intimidated and I don't know when to clap 00:08:11.189 --> 00:08:13.790 none of that so if you feel moved to clap that's 00:08:13.790 --> 00:08:16.050 fine if you don't know when to clap and you clap 00:08:16.050 --> 00:08:18.449 at the wrong place that's fine and we acknowledge 00:08:18.449 --> 00:08:20.529 that you know if you if you're moved and you 00:08:20.529 --> 00:08:23.230 clap in the middle of you know in between a movement 00:08:23.230 --> 00:08:25.970 and that's not the right place the right time 00:08:25.970 --> 00:08:29.519 and place to clap that you know we let we acknowledge 00:08:29.519 --> 00:08:33.019 that and we um we express appreciation and we 00:08:33.019 --> 00:08:36.080 put people at ease you know that that whole um 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:39.539 the classical elitism is something that we try 00:08:39.539 --> 00:08:41.940 to dispel and we try to make black and brown 00:08:41.940 --> 00:08:45.139 people feel as welcome as possible so our mission 00:08:45.139 --> 00:08:50.110 is to grow the classical music audience by meeting 00:08:50.110 --> 00:08:53.009 people where they are. So if you did not grow 00:08:53.009 --> 00:08:54.950 up hearing classical music, you can come to one 00:08:54.950 --> 00:08:57.570 of our concerts and hear music by Stevie Wonder 00:08:57.570 --> 00:09:02.570 and hear music by Lizzo and hear music by musicians 00:09:02.570 --> 00:09:07.850 that you're probably hearing on Spotify or whoever's, 00:09:07.850 --> 00:09:12.509 you know, on your playlist rotation, as well 00:09:12.509 --> 00:09:14.309 as music that your grandmother's listening to 00:09:14.309 --> 00:09:18.299 or music that I might be listening to. But then 00:09:18.299 --> 00:09:20.340 we're also going to introduce you to music by 00:09:20.340 --> 00:09:22.340 Burley and we're going to introduce you to music 00:09:22.340 --> 00:09:23.940 by Courtney Bryan and we're going to introduce 00:09:23.940 --> 00:09:26.759 you to music by Nkiru Okoye. And you're going 00:09:26.759 --> 00:09:30.240 to start to hear a through line of like, what? 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:34.379 what Black classical composers are writing and 00:09:34.379 --> 00:09:37.240 their influences that are very much the same 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:39.440 as, you know, your influences and what you're 00:09:39.440 --> 00:09:42.559 listening to. And we're trying to put everything 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:45.299 into a historical context so that you understand 00:09:45.299 --> 00:09:47.639 that all of this music actually belongs to you. 00:09:47.720 --> 00:09:50.279 And that there's none of the, you know, that 00:09:50.279 --> 00:09:52.659 classical music has always been popular music. 00:09:52.720 --> 00:09:55.299 And just because we rarefied it and put it in 00:09:55.299 --> 00:09:57.799 spaces that feel intimidating to you, that we 00:09:57.799 --> 00:10:00.879 don't believe that that actually. is real. We 00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:03.620 think that that's a construct. And so that's 00:10:03.620 --> 00:10:06.419 the mission of Juneteenth LP, to play music of 00:10:06.419 --> 00:10:09.320 all of the African diaspora, regardless of genre. 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:12.320 And in doing so, grow the classical music audience. 00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:15.720 Because the fact of the matter is that classical 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:19.840 music audience is shrinking. And if we don't 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:21.659 do something radically different, we're going 00:10:21.659 --> 00:10:27.779 to sort of, you know... lead ourselves out of 00:10:27.779 --> 00:10:31.500 jobs and an existence and it doesn't have to 00:10:31.500 --> 00:10:34.259 be that way at all absolutely yeah that's true 00:10:34.259 --> 00:10:37.720 and what's great about is those music that you're 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:41.799 going to play but performed by mainly classical 00:10:43.009 --> 00:10:46.110 Musicians. Classical musicians. Exactly. That's 00:10:46.110 --> 00:10:48.590 amazing. I attended last year. It was fantastic. 00:10:48.929 --> 00:10:52.169 I attended the one that you hosted. You were 00:10:52.169 --> 00:10:55.970 hosted by Metropolitan Museum last year. You 00:10:55.970 --> 00:11:00.870 were presenting the composition by Samuel Coolidge. 00:11:01.580 --> 00:11:03.960 Samuel Coleridge -Taylor. Taylor, right? And 00:11:03.960 --> 00:11:06.960 then also a few days later, of course, I attended 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:10.320 the June 19th last year, the Juneteenth concert 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:15.059 at Joe's Pub and with your group. So basically, 00:11:15.539 --> 00:11:19.980 how do you carry out this mission? So you have 00:11:19.980 --> 00:11:26.120 several different events in a week of Juneteenth, 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:29.039 right? Yes, a week, sometimes two weeks, depending 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:31.720 on, you know. when we can get things scheduled. 00:11:31.940 --> 00:11:39.320 But the events range in scope. So for example, 00:11:39.399 --> 00:11:42.399 last year, I was fortunate enough to have the 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:46.019 opportunity to present a Met expert talk. And 00:11:46.019 --> 00:11:50.840 what I did was I selected an instrument to focus 00:11:50.840 --> 00:11:56.409 on, and I got to play a beautiful a beautiful 00:11:56.409 --> 00:11:59.830 period piano, um, an arcade piano. It was gorgeous. 00:12:00.289 --> 00:12:03.789 And, um, what was amazing about it was that it 00:12:03.789 --> 00:12:07.950 was a piano. Um, it was a French piano from 19. 00:12:08.950 --> 00:12:13.370 Oh, I want to say, Oh, four Oh five. Yeah. Something 00:12:13.370 --> 00:12:16.610 like that. I remember. Yes. My memory is not 00:12:16.610 --> 00:12:19.169 so great on that, but the point is, is that it 00:12:19.169 --> 00:12:23.299 was, um, it was a French piano, but they had 00:12:23.299 --> 00:12:26.519 a factory in London. So it's actually entirely 00:12:26.519 --> 00:12:32.299 possible that that piano could have existed in, 00:12:32.360 --> 00:12:36.740 you know, that, that, that was a possible intersection 00:12:36.740 --> 00:12:39.399 point of Samuel Coleridge Taylor's life. Like 00:12:39.399 --> 00:12:41.740 he could have actually, not that he could have 00:12:41.740 --> 00:12:43.740 played that piano or own that piano, but it's 00:12:43.740 --> 00:12:47.460 entirely possible that he could have, he could 00:12:47.460 --> 00:12:51.740 have played, you know, one of those pianos right 00:12:51.740 --> 00:12:57.279 um because you know those pianos were being sold 00:12:57.279 --> 00:13:00.360 and made in london you know and that's where 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:05.620 he lived um and um and he was writing these pieces 00:13:05.620 --> 00:13:10.740 these opus 59 um 24 negro melodies around that 00:13:10.740 --> 00:13:16.009 time and so it was it was a wonderful um opportunity 00:13:16.009 --> 00:13:19.350 to be able to i cannot believe that i cannot 00:13:19.350 --> 00:13:22.929 remember the name of this french piano it's it's 00:13:22.929 --> 00:13:27.090 this medication start with e yes erard erard 00:13:27.090 --> 00:13:31.610 oh my gosh i could not believe i could not remember 00:13:31.610 --> 00:13:35.470 it thank you so much so this erard piano anyway 00:13:35.470 --> 00:13:38.549 and it's a beautiful um art case piano with a 00:13:38.549 --> 00:13:41.629 swan on it it's it was absolutely stunning um 00:13:42.169 --> 00:13:45.690 But what was amazing was to be able to present 00:13:45.690 --> 00:13:50.309 about Samuel Coleridge Taylor's music, this particular 00:13:50.309 --> 00:13:52.490 collection of pieces. I've played a couple of 00:13:52.490 --> 00:13:56.490 them. And to talk about him, the composer, and 00:13:56.490 --> 00:14:01.429 his sort of his musical inquiries about his life 00:14:01.429 --> 00:14:04.470 and his history, you know, his African father 00:14:04.470 --> 00:14:09.389 and his explorations into his personal and cultural 00:14:09.389 --> 00:14:14.200 identity. As he wrote these pieces. So it's his 00:14:14.200 --> 00:14:17.379 cultural history and to be talking about it in 00:14:17.379 --> 00:14:20.360 the context of Juneteenth and our cultural history 00:14:20.360 --> 00:14:24.120 in this nation and to be playing it in the Met 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:27.539 in this sort of, you know, institution that houses, 00:14:27.539 --> 00:14:32.159 you know, cultural history on this historical 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:35.330 instrument. And it was a, it was a really. rare 00:14:35.330 --> 00:14:38.730 moment, right, to be able to give that lecture 00:14:38.730 --> 00:14:42.250 on that instrument in that space at that time, 00:14:42.289 --> 00:14:45.750 you know, for Juneteenth week. So that was sort 00:14:45.750 --> 00:14:51.070 of special. But this year, we're doing date night 00:14:51.070 --> 00:14:54.690 at the Met, right? And normally, you know, date 00:14:54.690 --> 00:14:57.389 night at the Met, that's a gig. But what's really 00:14:57.389 --> 00:14:59.649 special about this date, these two date nights 00:14:59.649 --> 00:15:04.629 at the Met, is that the Met has been working 00:15:04.629 --> 00:15:07.009 to sort of reimagine its Africa wing. And so 00:15:07.009 --> 00:15:08.710 it's doing a renovation and there's going to 00:15:08.710 --> 00:15:11.830 be a special exhibit. And if you're someone who 00:15:11.830 --> 00:15:16.190 pays attention to the Met Gala, you know, there's 00:15:16.190 --> 00:15:18.769 this exhibit, you know, super fine about Black 00:15:18.769 --> 00:15:21.490 Dandyism. And so that was the theme of the Met 00:15:21.490 --> 00:15:24.740 Gala. It was great. Right. Fantastic. Right. 00:15:24.820 --> 00:15:28.700 And so June 13th is going to feature Sterling 00:15:28.700 --> 00:15:31.600 Strings and they're going to do a lot of Afropop, 00:15:31.620 --> 00:15:35.759 which is going to sort of lean in to the African 00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:39.919 wing and Afropop and Afrobeats. So that's going 00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:41.379 to be the music that they're going to be playing 00:15:41.379 --> 00:15:45.279 on Friday the 13th and on Saturday the 14th, 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:49.629 Violinist. Edward Hardy and I are going to be 00:15:49.629 --> 00:15:53.789 playing a show that leans into Black Dandyism. 00:15:54.250 --> 00:15:56.629 And so we're going to be playing some beautiful, 00:15:56.710 --> 00:16:01.110 we're going to be playing summertime and, you 00:16:01.110 --> 00:16:05.149 know, some jazz and it don't mean a thing if 00:16:05.149 --> 00:16:07.129 it ain't got that swing. We're going to be playing 00:16:07.129 --> 00:16:09.029 a little bit of Edith Piaf and we're going to 00:16:09.029 --> 00:16:11.230 be playing a little, you know, just really wonderful 00:16:11.230 --> 00:16:14.370 things that sort of lean into that sort of suave, 00:16:14.370 --> 00:16:18.100 elegant, joie de vivre, you know. that kind of 00:16:18.100 --> 00:16:19.919 programming. And so it's going to be a lot of 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:25.700 fun to explore this idea of elegance and flair 00:16:25.700 --> 00:16:30.679 and style, but sort of explored in a sonic framework. 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:35.320 Yeah. And then you also have some other events 00:16:35.320 --> 00:16:41.539 as well in Harlem also. We do. Well, not quite 00:16:41.539 --> 00:16:46.289 in Harlem. I guess it's Morningside. The Interchurch 00:16:46.289 --> 00:16:50.090 Center, we're going to be giving a concert, cello 00:16:50.090 --> 00:16:54.750 and piano music, music by Shostakovich, Samuel 00:16:54.750 --> 00:17:00.450 Coleridge -Taylor, and Evan Williams. And it's 00:17:00.450 --> 00:17:04.670 going to be this interplay of composers, how 00:17:04.670 --> 00:17:08.960 they treat melodic material. Right. So it's the 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:12.660 Shostakovich Cello Sonata. Evan Williams is Cantigas 00:17:12.660 --> 00:17:15.500 for Cello Piano. And then Samuel Coleridge -Taylor, 00:17:15.539 --> 00:17:20.960 we're going to revisit the Negro Melodies. And 00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:25.759 that's a noonday concert. And so that's, I think, 00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:30.880 108th and Claremont. I'm not quite sure the exact 00:17:30.880 --> 00:17:33.039 address, but we're really excited to do that. 00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:37.890 The noonday concert. at interchurch are a long 00:17:37.890 --> 00:17:39.990 -standing tradition and we're so happy to be 00:17:39.990 --> 00:17:42.869 a part of it and be a part of their juneteenth 00:17:42.869 --> 00:17:46.930 programming there and then our portrait of the 00:17:46.930 --> 00:17:50.309 artist series that we've just started we love 00:17:50.309 --> 00:17:53.089 this thing that we've created where we take an 00:17:53.089 --> 00:17:56.210 artist that's um established and we invite them 00:17:56.210 --> 00:17:58.789 to come and perform something that they really 00:17:58.789 --> 00:18:01.549 love that they're emotionally attached to that 00:18:01.549 --> 00:18:05.339 they've performed for a long time and um talk 00:18:05.339 --> 00:18:08.059 to them about how playing a piece for a long 00:18:08.059 --> 00:18:12.779 time and the ways in which they've changed as 00:18:12.779 --> 00:18:14.599 an artist and they've noticed that they've changed 00:18:14.599 --> 00:18:17.819 as an artist and how that's reflected in their 00:18:17.819 --> 00:18:22.819 interpretations over time. So this fabulous soprano 00:18:22.819 --> 00:18:26.900 Indira Mahajan is going to come and she's going 00:18:26.900 --> 00:18:31.930 to do two songs that focus on the headiness of 00:18:31.930 --> 00:18:34.210 summer. One is Gershwin's Summertime, and the 00:18:34.210 --> 00:18:37.789 other is Valerie Caper's Summer from Songs of 00:18:37.789 --> 00:18:42.309 the Seasons. And it's not about so much a heavy 00:18:42.309 --> 00:18:44.490 lift in terms of performing. It's going to be 00:18:44.490 --> 00:18:47.009 about the performance, but then the discussion 00:18:47.009 --> 00:18:51.990 that we have afterward about their life in music, 00:18:52.089 --> 00:18:57.319 but also this process of interpretation and how 00:18:57.319 --> 00:19:00.359 it changes over time and so it's like looking 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:02.720 through a kaleidoscope and you see it shift and 00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:04.619 change and shift and change shift and change 00:19:04.619 --> 00:19:07.119 and it's something that we really wanted the 00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:09.759 audience to get to experience getting to know 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:12.579 the artist in a very specific way as reflected 00:19:12.579 --> 00:19:16.000 through you know beloved pieces of music so I'll 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:18.799 be interviewing her but then the audience gets 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:23.480 to ask questions oh wonderful so basically Juneteenth 00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:28.430 LLP events start nearly two weeks earlier and 00:19:28.430 --> 00:19:32.490 then just two weeks full of events that showcase 00:19:32.490 --> 00:19:36.450 black artists and composers and then uh compositions 00:19:36.450 --> 00:19:40.650 and just to that geared toward up to the point 00:19:40.650 --> 00:19:45.509 of june 19th where the iconic concert happens 00:19:45.509 --> 00:19:51.150 every year at 6 30 uh that's time yeah get your 00:19:51.150 --> 00:19:55.039 tickets now yes get your tickets now You can 00:19:55.039 --> 00:19:59.259 get your tickets at publictheater .org or you 00:19:59.259 --> 00:20:02.880 can find the link in the show notes. So thank 00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:06.599 you, Dana, for sharing your vision and for all 00:20:06.599 --> 00:20:09.420 the incredible work you do. You are such an inspirational 00:20:09.420 --> 00:20:13.180 person. And to really center Black voices in 00:20:13.180 --> 00:20:18.180 classical music, it's so, so important. The inclusion 00:20:18.180 --> 00:20:21.779 is so important. You have no idea what incredible 00:20:21.779 --> 00:20:24.839 work you're doing. You are very, very kind. And 00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:26.880 thank you for encouraging the work that we do. 00:20:27.019 --> 00:20:30.839 I do want to say that while the performance element 00:20:30.839 --> 00:20:35.000 is definitely important, we are, it has been 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:39.000 a, as you know, you know, establishing anything 00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:41.480 is a steep learning curve, right? If you've never 00:20:41.480 --> 00:20:46.480 done it before. And we are, we sort of finally 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:50.240 have gotten our footing and we are now sort of. 00:20:50.700 --> 00:20:53.859 moving into the educational component where we're 00:20:53.859 --> 00:20:57.299 creating educational modules that we are designing 00:20:57.299 --> 00:21:02.359 to be able to be used for early grades from like 00:21:02.359 --> 00:21:05.660 kindergarten up through high school and into 00:21:05.660 --> 00:21:09.880 college, because we do feel like, you know, I 00:21:09.880 --> 00:21:13.000 had this, I had this interesting conversation 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:18.339 with, with a clarinetist who said, you know, 00:21:18.339 --> 00:21:23.569 she said, I, I wish I knew, I wish school was 00:21:23.569 --> 00:21:26.569 taught differently. You know, if you had been 00:21:26.569 --> 00:21:30.049 taught in chemistry about the ways in which chemical 00:21:30.049 --> 00:21:34.750 compounds applied to like, for example, like 00:21:34.750 --> 00:21:38.890 the lacquer that, that is used on your instrument 00:21:38.890 --> 00:21:41.210 and like how the discovery of certain compounds 00:21:41.210 --> 00:21:45.650 changed, like, you know, lacquers and on, you 00:21:45.650 --> 00:21:48.599 know, clarinets or whatever, you know. Like you 00:21:48.599 --> 00:21:50.759 would have been much more engaged, for example, 00:21:50.900 --> 00:21:53.759 in chemistry, or you would have been much more 00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:56.079 engaged in science if you had understood how 00:21:56.079 --> 00:22:00.359 like science is used in everything, in every 00:22:00.359 --> 00:22:03.660 way in which we engage in our world. And it takes 00:22:03.660 --> 00:22:07.359 like, it's a heavy lift. It's a lot to ask, you 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:10.759 know, overworked public school teachers to find 00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:14.430 all the ways in which to engage in like. a class 00:22:14.430 --> 00:22:16.450 with 40 students who probably have different 00:22:16.450 --> 00:22:19.130 interests. But I think that there might be a 00:22:19.130 --> 00:22:22.210 way in which different organizations might be 00:22:22.210 --> 00:22:24.369 able to find ways in which to engage students 00:22:24.369 --> 00:22:26.890 who have different interests. You know, like, 00:22:26.970 --> 00:22:30.910 isn't this fascinating? This is what Black composers 00:22:30.910 --> 00:22:33.250 were doing at this particular time in history. 00:22:33.490 --> 00:22:35.490 And maybe it's not talked about in your class, 00:22:35.650 --> 00:22:37.609 but we can bring this, we can bring these educational 00:22:37.609 --> 00:22:42.130 modules in. That might make history more interesting 00:22:42.130 --> 00:22:44.009 or that might make science more interesting or 00:22:44.009 --> 00:22:46.390 that might make whatever more interesting. And 00:22:46.390 --> 00:22:49.049 that's something that we can do to facilitate 00:22:49.049 --> 00:22:54.150 making school more fascinating for children without 00:22:54.150 --> 00:22:56.930 having to overburden the teachers who are in 00:22:56.930 --> 00:22:59.410 the classroom every day, just trying to, you 00:22:59.410 --> 00:23:05.099 know, wrangle 25 to 45 students. you know, in 00:23:05.099 --> 00:23:07.400 an overburdened classroom situation. So we're 00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:10.019 trying to figure out ways in which we can, you 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:11.940 know, create modules that are interesting and 00:23:11.940 --> 00:23:17.680 dynamic and engaging. So that's our next step. 00:23:17.900 --> 00:23:21.839 Great. There's so many opportunities waiting 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:25.859 for you with your organization. So friends, do 00:23:25.859 --> 00:23:29.140 not miss Juneteenth LP's 10th anniversary celebration 00:23:29.140 --> 00:23:32.099 in New York City, kicking off on June 8th with 00:23:32.099 --> 00:23:35.319 Portrait of an Artist featuring soprano Indira 00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:41.869 Mahajan. And wrapping up with the iconic Juneteenth 00:23:41.869 --> 00:23:45.970 LP concert at Joe's Pub on June 19th at 6 .30 00:23:45.970 --> 00:23:49.289 p .m. featuring the full Juneteenth LP ensemble. 00:23:49.750 --> 00:23:53.849 Get your tickets now at joespub .org and for 00:23:53.849 --> 00:23:57.430 the full lineup of events, visit juneteenthlp 00:23:57.430 --> 00:24:01.450 .org. Thank you, Dana. Thank you so much.