Echoes of the Harlem Renaissance
Artwork: Nightlife Archibald J. Motley, Jr. (1943)
Echoes of the Harlem Renaissance is a musical tribute celebrating one of the most exciting times in American history – the 1920s and 1930s in Harlem, New York and honoring musicians, writers, composers and visual artists working at that time. The program salutes Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, and Duke Ellington among others. Soprano Adrienne Danrich and Baritone Eric McKeever perform popular songs from the era, create vignettes, and recite poems that highlight the emerging pride in the African American Experience. Through the use of historical photos, contemporary artwork, and newly commissioned music by New York based composer, Drew Heminger, the program shines a spotlight on the artistic and socioeconomic echoes of the Harlem Renaissance that still reverberate today.