BLACK VOICES AND A BALLET FOR MARTHA

Jessie Montgomery, Voodoo Dolls
Bruce A. Russell, Linea Nigra for String Octet
Aaron Copland, Appalachian Spring: Suite for 13 Instruments

Aaron Copland wrote “A Ballet for Martha” in 1944. The wartime ensemble consisted of just 13 musicians, and the collaboration with Martha Graham resulted in Appalachian Spring, an iconic vision of American Shaker communities. The program also features music by Jessie Montgomery and Bruce A. Russell, two Black American composers whose voices resonate with the racial justice movement and introduce a season-long conversation about diversity and inclusivity in the performing arts.