The Harlem Chamber Players Presents IN SONG AND SPIRIT
The film will be premiered on Friday, December 18, 2020 at 7pm EST.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Dec. 16, 2020
The Harlem Chamber Players will present a new musical documentary entitled In Song and Spirit. The film will be premiered on Friday, December 18, 2020 at 7pm EST on their Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Conceived by harpist Dr. Ashley Jackson, this film weaves together excerpts from Harriet Jacobs's memoir Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl with stories of Jackson's own family history and performances of African American spirituals while exploring themes of migration, black womanhood, and the empowering role of collective memory in the preservation of African American culture.
The memoir Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was part of Arturo Schomburg's orginal collection of items he sold to the New York Public Library. You may learn more about Mr. Schomburg and his collection on the NYPL site here.
Directed and filmed by Malik Isasis, this musical documentary features vocalist Freddie June as well as harpist Ashley Jackson. This new piece showcases performances of the spirituals "Deep River" and "I'm Troubled in Mind," arranged by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and transcribed and performed by Dr. Jackson. It also includes vocal performances of "This Little Light of Mine" as well as "I'm Mother's Garden," written and performed by Freddie June.
The film will premiere for free, and for the price of a donation to The Harlem Chamber Players, viewers can enjoy a post-premiere Talk Back with the filmmaker Malik Isasis, harpist Ashley Jackson, and vocalist Freddie June, moderated by The Harlem Chamber Players' founder and director Liz Player.
Watch the Premiere for free on The Harlem Chamber Players YouTube channel here:
And RSVP to join them for the Talk Back using the link below.
The Harlem Chamber Players, Inc. is an ethnically diverse collective of professional musicians dedicated to bringing high-caliber, affordable, accessible live classical music to people in the Harlem community and beyond. The Harlem Chamber Players promote arts inclusion, diversity in classical music and equal access to the arts. The Harlem Chamber Players bring music to underserved neighborhoods, promote shared community arts and cultural engagement and provide opportunities for classically trained musicians of color.
The Harlem Chamber Players' official website is www.harlemchamberplayers.org.
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