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Considering the authenticity of spirituals and what it certainly means to me when I share any piece, it matters very much to me the setting and context in which they are shared. When called upon to represent music for Black History Month especially, never do I consider whatever I share by myself or with anyone… Continue reading Black History Month- So Much to Say (Part 2)

The linear construct of time that governs our minds in the world of Western European thought feels profoundly limiting as I ponder so many aspects of Black History Month– as a woman of African and Metinnecock descent, as a product of my generation, and as a musician. Year round for much of my life, I… Continue reading Black History Month- So Much to Say (Part 1)

I have been home from the 25th anniversary conference for the African American Art Song Alliance three days now and am still perpetually on the verge of residual tears for what an ineffably beautiful experience it was for me. The beginnings of this endeavor to attend and participate in the conference come mostly with what… Continue reading The African American Art Song Alliance 25th Anniversary Conference

I’ll preface this blog with a word of caution to readers that some may experience an intensely negative reaction to any number of sections of the reflections to follow. I do believe, however, that if one allows themselves to sit with that discomfort and read to the end (as I had to process my own… Continue reading Lifting My Voice: A Rendition of the National Anthem

About three months ago, just about everyone engaged with the opera world noticed the blip on the radar of the universe that was the backlash against Emmett Till, the Opera. The uproar was over the background of the librettist (essentially, that she’s White) and a narrative– ostensibly about the traumatic and horrific murder of the… Continue reading Living Memory: Mary Watkins and Emmett Till, the Opera

Once upon a time I had the opportunity to sing for a prominent American composer, courtesy of connections from a woman high in arts administration who’d come to like me at the time as I was interning for her. I was still in my undergrad, looking for my voice, also immersed in pageantry during my… Continue reading Worth It