The Sound of the Northwest is presenting its Spring Concert 2023 on Saturday, June 3rd at 7:00 pm at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. The theme of this year’s concert is “History, Her-story, Their-story: Music from Different Perspectives. Music reflects the joys, sorrows, victories, defeats, struggles and triumphs of people throughout history. The voice of woman composers has not always been heard on concert stages. In this performance, we will be singing Spirituals, Freedom Songs, and Gospel music by many Black composers, but we will highlight the songs of women who convey their perspectives.
From our Artistic Director, Vanessa Wells Bruce- “As we have watched the news in recent years, we have seen and heard the cries of people who have been oppressed. As the mother of a Black man, my heart broke to hear the voices of sons calling for their mothers as they were crushed and destroyed. My tears are for those women who have had to speak on behalf of their martyred children.” In America, we need to listen more to the voices of women who lift their voices to change society. Freedom is a tenet of our democratic nation. When freedom is at stake, we need more songs, more poetry, more art, and more discourse to protect our life and liberty. Listen to her voice, his voice, their voices.
The Sound of the Northwest is a community choir founded in 1987 by Juan Huey-Ray for the purpose of preserving and presenting the music of the Black American heritage, particularly the Negro Spiritual. It is one of a small number of choirs nationwide that focus on a repertoire of African American Spirituals, and the only such choir in the Seattle area.
The Sound of the Northwest strives to enrich the lives of diverse, multi- generational, and multi-cultural audiences and artists. It has a rich history of performing for a wide range of audiences in schools, concert halls, civic centers, and churches of many different denominations. A common feature of Sound of the Northwest appearances has been educational commentary, story-telling, and audience participation, encouraging unity among diverse audience members, stirring pride in the artistic contributions and resilience of the African American community, and providing insight into the African American experience in a way that fosters empathy and understanding.
Suggested Donation $20, $15 youth/seniors, Under 5 FREE
Make donations to https://www.thesonw.org/donate and write "Ticket" in comment section. Thank you for your support. The Sound of the Northwest is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Tickets will also be available at the door.
Thank you to our sponsors: Office of Arts & Culture Seattle, Washington State Arts Commission
