Sound Off x Justice Committee @ The People's Forum: NYC 2022-2023 Season Finale!
Massivemuse

Sound Off x Justice Committee @ The People's Forum: NYC 2022-2023 Season Finale!

Garment District

Sat, July 8, 2023 6:30 PM, EDT

Pay the musicians
Capacity
43 of 75 tickets still available
Vaccine policy
Bring proof of COVID vaccination with booster
Testing policy
COVID testing not required
Indoors
This is an indoor event
Mask policy
Masks are recommended
Greeter checks
Greeter will confirm safety precautions
If you feel sick, stay home
Drinking policy
Don't bring your own drinks
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for sale
Wheelchair access
Wheelchair Accessible
Kids
Kid-friendly event

This is a Groupmuse Massivemuse

Epic performances in unexpected spaces.

Hosts

+12
Jay J. (they/them)
+12
Groupmuse Superhost

NOTE: Music will start promptly at 7 PM, and The People’s Forum is open all day for you to get there early and grab a seat.

Hello Groupmusers! Musical-abolitionist collective Sound Off: Music for Bail is partnering once more with Groupmuse to present a season finale worthy of the three-year mark this July 8th. Once more, they'll be hosted by The People's Forum!

This show features four of the East Coast's finest string musicians (violinists Justus Ross + Che Buford, violist Kyran Littlejohn, and cellist Emmanuel Losa) in string works by Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa, Sebastien Zel, Florence Price, and Akua Dixon. Sound Off is thrilled to partner once more with the Justice Committee, and to platform a speaker from their community.

From their website:

The Justice Committee (JC) is a grassroots organization dedicated to building a movement against police violence and systemic racism in New York City and empowering low-income Latinx and other people of color to address these issues. Recognizing that true power can only be exercised by unified communities we prioritize developing the leadership of both youth and elders and strive to make our organizing a multi-generational effort. By building solidarity with other anti-racist, immigrant and people of color-led organizations, we seek to contribute to a broad-based movement for social justice.

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And if you can't make it in New York on the 8th but are in Philadelphia on the 9th, right, you're in luck -- Sound Off will be presenting the same musical program at 7 PM! @Philly, see you on July 9!

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Food and drink will be available at the People's Forum cafe.

See you there!

What's the music?

Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa - Rurimi rwaAmai
Sebastian Zel, with text by Yaz Lancaster - (report)

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Florence Price - Five Folk Songs in Counterpoint
Akua Dixon - Ladies’ Blues

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BIOS:

Justus Ross (he/him) has completed performance degrees in violin performance at University of Southern California and New England Conservatory under Dr. Lina Bahn and Ayano Ninomiya. While at USC, Justus was a finalist in the Concerto Competition and a member of the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee. During his time at NEC, he won first prize in the Dorothy Bales competition where he was loaned a Guarneri violin. Justus has performed in many ensembles such as the Fermata Chamber Soloists, Myrska Trio, American Youth symphony, Juventas and Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra. As a member of the Griot String Quartet, he has also had the opportunity to tour with pianist & arranger Damien Sneed.

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Che Buford (he/they) is an NYC-based artist whose work explores creating new narratives within the world of music while engaging in themes of memory and place.

Che performs as a violinist in various musical settings such as traditional orchestras, chamber music, solo, improvisational performance, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Their own work explores the possibilities of timbre and acoustical phenomena and connects them to elements of place, memory, poetry, and the quotidian. Che has had the privilege of creating with artists such as Longleash, The Rhythm Method, New York Philharmonic, Castle of our Skins, mal sounds, Steph Davis, Adama Delphine Fawundu, and Deborah Jack. Their work has been presented and performed in spaces that include Roulette, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Joe's Pub, Antenna Cloud Farm, The DiMenna Center, and David Geffen Hall.

Che holds a degree from Boston Conservatory at Berklee as a presidential scholar in violin performance where he studied with Rictor Noren. In the fall, He will begin his DMA in composition at Columbia University. When Che isn’t interacting with music, he enjoys taking long walks, cooking vegan food, and thrifting.

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Kyran Shaun Littlejohn Jr. (he/him) is a native of Philadelphia, PA and began playing the viola at age 13 in school with Matthew Ackiewicz. Kyran didn't have viola lessons until he was 16 and was granted the opportunity to study with Kerri Ryan of the Philadelphia Orchestra with the help of Principal Timpanist Don Liuzzi and All-City Philadelphia. While studying with Kerri Ryan he won 1st place in the All-City Concerto Competition and performed at Verizon Hall. Kyran also participated in the Philadelphia All-City Orchestra, Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, Trowbridge Orchestra and numerous region orchestras, all while attending the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts . Kyran has also participated in numerous music festivals such as Kinhaven, Chautauqua, Summit and Philadelphia International.

When it came time to pick a college, Kyran chose to pursue a career in music. With the help of his teacher and support of his parents, he was accepted into the Manhattan School of Music, where he recently graduated studying under Karen Ritscher and Molly Carr.

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Born in 1998, cellist Emmanuel Losa (he/him) grew up in Marietta, Georgia to a Nigerian father and Jamaican mother. Emmanuel began his cello studies at the age of 12, and later began studying with his primary instructor Joel Dallow, cellist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Emmanuel enjoys spending his summers at various festivals, having attended Bowdoin International Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and Aspen Music Festival (to name a few) and has played in masterclasses for various esteemed cellists including Ilya Finkelshteyn, Robert deMaine, Brinton Smith, Astrid Shween, and Steven Isserlis.

With a focus on pursuing an orchestral career, Emmanuel has recently finished a fellowship with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and is a substitute cellist with the Philly Pops, Virginia Symphony, and the New World Symphony.

A former student of Alan Stepansky, Emmanuel received his undergraduate degree in cello performance at Peabody Conservatory. He will be continuing his studies at the Eastman School of Music with master teacher Steven Doane.

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