CELEBRATE A TRAILBLAZING COMPOSER
Schedule
This event is free and open to the public. No ticket is required,
but an RSVP is recommended to help us plan for seating and accommodations.
Overview
Concert on Friday, February 27
Celebrate the legacy of trailblazing composer Margaret Bonds in a one-night-only live concert from Chicago Sinfonietta. More than 50 years after her passing, hear her powerful vocal and instrumental works — curated by Malcolm J. Merriweather — and experience the emotional depth only a live orchestra can deliver. This free event honors a Chicago-born visionary whose music continues to uplift, console, and inspire. RSVP to the concert.
Conversation on Saturday, February 28
Join Rev. Jamar Boyd, II and Kenwood United Church of Christ for Especially Do I Believe: The Legacy of Margaret Bonds—a powerful conversation on the life and impact of this trailblazing composer. Moderator Dr. Toni-Marie Montgomery leads a panel of distinguished scholars and artists: Dr. Ashley Jackson, Dr. Louise Toppin, Dr. Artina McCain, and Dr. Malcolm J. Merriweather. Through dialogue and performance, they explore Bonds’s legacy in Black music, justice, and cultural memory. RSVP to the Conversation.
ARTISTS & CONCERT Program / FEBRUARY 27
ARTISTS
Dr. Malcolm J. Merriweather, curator & Professor & Tania León Chair of Music, Brooklyn College (CUNY)
Dr. Toni Marie- Montgomery, emcee & Emerita Dean and Professor, Northwestern University Whitney Morrison, soprano
Rosalyn Floyd, Professor of Piano, Augusta University
Dr. Ashley Jackson, Assistant Professor & Director of Performance, Hunter College (CUNY)
Dr. Artina McCain, pianist & Associate Professor of Piano, University of Memphis
Dr. Louis Toppin, soprano & Professor of Voice, University of Michigan
Program
| Margaret Bonds | “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hand” Traditional Spiritual | ||
| Margaret Bonds | The Negro Speaks of Rivers | ||
| Margaret Bonds | Three Dream Portraits Minstrel Man Dream Variation I, too | ||
| Margaret Bonds | The Negro Speaks of Rivers | ||
| Margaret Bonds | Especially, do I believe in the Negro Race from Credo | ||
| Margaret Bonds | Spiritual Suite for Piano Valley of the Bones The Bells Troubled Water | ||
| J.R. Johnson | Lift Every Voice and Sing |
cONVERSATION / FEBRUARY 28
| Rev. Jamar Boyd, II, Pastor | Opening Invocation | ||
| Margaret Bonds | Fugal Dance & Tangamerican | ||
| Dr. Toni-Marie Montgomery, moderator Dr. Malcolm J. Merriweather, curator Dr. Rosalyn Floyd Dr. Ashley Jackson Dr. Artina McCain Whitney Morrison Dr. Louise Toppin | Conversation | ||
| Arr. Margaret Bonds | “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hand” Traditional Spiritual |
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