A Time to Listen

This is a time of great anguish and frustration across the nation after the horrifying events in Minneapolis and elsewhere have shocked our collective conscience.  As we come face to face with the dark reality of racism, difficult but sorely needed conversations are finally happening about how we can confront inequality and make a real difference moving forward.  For those looking forward to our virtual concert originally announced for June 14, we're sorry to postpone that concert for now but we have decided that it was necessary to refocus and join this national conversation.  We will be hosting "A Time to Listen," a program of heartfelt music and conversation tailored to the weight of this moment, which will be held starting at 4PM on Sunday, June 21. Our mission at Constellations is always to connect through music, and right now the most important connection we can make is to build understanding in the wake of the wave of pain washing over our country - pain that is raw and immediate, yet also centuries-old for so many of our friends, neighbors and fellow citizens.

As a new organization in the classical music world, it's also important that we take the time to listen, learn and make sure we are being fully inclusive and doing everything we can to make life-changing music available to everyone, not just a privileged few.

The event will be hosted on our homepage, www.constellationsmusic.org, going live at 4PM on Sunday, June 21 and will remain available there for 72 hours (and after that, in our online archives).

This event brings together four extraordinary artists, each at different stages of their musical careers:

• Legendary tenor George Shirley, recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 2015 and the first African American tenor to sing a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera
• Flutist and composer Allison Loggins-Hull, trailblazing artist and member of the duo Flutronix
• Charles Overton, harpist and genre-bending performer of classical, jazz, and contemporary music, Finalist in the American Harp Society National Competition
• Violinist Randall Goosby, youngest-ever winner of the Sphinx Competition and First Prizewinner of the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions

The artists will each be presenting brief works that are close to their hearts during this time, and participating in an expanded discussion panel hosted by members of the Constellations Programming Committee.  If you would like to submit a question for the artists, we are happy to collect any questions until Wednesday, June 17 - just email your question to Ellen Hwangbo!

For this event, we are asking for donations to be made to the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts.  CAAPA is a non-profit arts organization in support of black classical musicians, black opera singers, youth, senior citizens, and others in the performing arts by "Bringing Color to the Classics®", through The CAAPA Cause: Community Outreach, Arts Education, Audience Development, Performance Opportunities, and Arts Partnerships.

We are also inviting other D.C.-area arts organizations and groups to join with us as a united front to spread the arts to black communities and fight inequality in the classical music world.  Sound Impact and Balance Campaign have joined us in this in mission so far, with more to come!