Isaiah Collier to Present World Premiere Broadcast of 13-Movement Suite 'The Story of 400 Years'
The journeying production will showcase the 400 year lineage of Black American Music.
On January 21, 2025 at 4pm CST, The Chicago Black Artists Union will present the world premiere broadcast of The Story of 400 Years, by saxophonist, composer & multi-instrumentalist Isaiah Collier with choreography by Kennedy Banks-Battle and on-stage visual media by Jordan Stewart-Curet.
Six years in the making, the live premiere of the production took place at The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in Chicago Illinois this past December and will be available for the general public to view for the first time in proud partnership with Bandcamp Live. Throughout the stream, Collier will be sharing his thoughts on his composition process, his global perspective, and answering questions from viewers in real time. The stream will be free to view with RSVP via Bandcamp and donations are highly encouraged during the broadcast. RSVP to view the stream HERE.
The journeying production will showcase the 400 year lineage of Black American Music and the impact that sound and memory have had on our collective memory within America. The 13-movement suite features 14 musicians, including premiere Chicago black chamber ensemble D-Composed, and 6 dancers. The work starts off reflecting on the brutal history of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and presents movements reflecting the 3/5 rule focusing on how African Americans were dehumanized, explores the concept of “Uncle Tom, ”examines the Civil War and and moves into the 1900s studying the origins of jazz, Jim Crow & segregation, the white snow epidemic, and ends on the final movement entitled ‘Revelations: Listen, Heal, Honor, and Grow,” A call for self-reflection, growth, and healing, urging society to confront both the victories and atrocities of the past in order to move forward in a more intentional and positive way.
Collier describes the production as a sonic time machine venturing from 1619 up until the present day. “The Story of 400 Years sounds like a powerful and evocative project. By blending sonic, visual, and spiritual elements, it seems poised to explore the depth of America’s narrative, especially regarding the complex history of enslavement. Acknowledging this painful past while also envisioning a future free from its constraints is a vital endeavor,” says Collier. The suite showcases the progression of African Culture in America through pain, struggle, triumph, and beauty.
“Inspired by our clear, cultural rhythm to connect with our roots, ‘400 Years' conjures the space for ancestral re-memberance and future becoming. As the production opens itself, the world of sound begins to grow. We traverse the journey by touching the coast to meet the sway of hymns deep in the water’s spirit to the bellowing jolts of funk crying to be released. Much like our story, this artistic production mirrors the flow, tension and transformative spirit of the Black Body. It manifests the area where “resistance” and “freedom” can meet. Where 'rest' and 'being' are seen as enough. Through this project we look forward to sharing with community the beauty that is our story. As the curtains close we invite all to answer a final question, “How can meeting ourselves at the beginning help us recognize who we will one day be?” says The Chicago Black Artists Union in a statement about the performance.
Collier was recently named a 2024 Steve Jobs Archive Fellow. The organization supports promising young people in their creative, professional, and personal development. Through the yearlong, non-residential program, SJA Fellows receive a stipend to pursue their ideas and the program is supporting the world premiere of The Story of 400 Years. Those wishing to support The Chicago Black Artists Union in the premiere broadcast & curating future productions can donate at the link HERE.
The Story of 400 Years upholds the core values to educate, illuminate, and empower. Though internal values of community as a practice; radical moments of loving honesty; care during moments of expansion & contractions; praise for milestones; and patience, the audience will be immersed in an educational and artistic space that sees through the production’s mission of illuminating the Black experience by reconnecting with our truths and cultivating future becomings.
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