CASTLE OF OUR SKINS
  • ABOUT
    • WHAT IS COOS?
    • LEADERS
    • ARTISTS
    • COLLABORATORS
    • CREATIVE IN RESIDENCE
    • CONTACT
  • CAREERS
  • SEASON
    • 2022-2023 SEASON
    • MassQ Ball
    • Black Poet Miniature Challenge
    • BSU Fellowship
    • REPERTOIRE
  • EDUCATION
    • EDUCATION
    • AS TOLD BY
    • BIBA Blog
    • RESOURCES
  • PRESS
    • IN THE NEWS
    • Videos & Images
  • CONTRIBUTE
    • DONATE
    • VOLUNTEER
    • Join the Board
    • SPECIAL THANKS
  • Store

2019-2020 season


Picture
Vertical Divider

landmarks dance night

We're teaming up with Boston Landmarks Orchestra, the Conservatory Lab Charter School and Jean Appolon Expressions to present a celebration of Haitian culture through music and dance! FREE and family-friendly.

***POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER***
August 22, 2019: 7:00pm
- Hatch Shell on the Esplanade

Picture
Vertical Divider

Creatives of color mixer + #Hellablack

Castle of our Skins makes its debut as the Boston Center for the Arts's Music Ensemble in Residence with a meet and mingle mixer for creatives of color and a performance art songs as part of the BCA'S second annual #HELLABLACK Mixtape event.

​September 21, 2019 - ​Boston Center for the Arts Black Box
     6:30-7:30pm (P)remix RSVP     |     8:00pm #HELLABLACK RSVP

Picture
Vertical Divider

Rockport music festival

Castle of our Skins makes its debut in Rockport offering a "Meet the Composers" lecture, and lecture-demo performance of George Walker's gorgeous String Quartet No. 1.

September 24, 2019: Rockport Music Festival
    4pm Meet the Composers lecture
    7pm George Walker lecture-demo

Picture
Vertical Divider

BE THE ARTIST @ BARTLETT Festival

The inaugural "Be the Artist @ Bartlett" Festival kicks off a reimagined arts park in Dudley Square. Located at Bartlett Station, the festival provides a taste of Roxbury's next arts park showcasing local artists and performers through music, dance, visual art, temporary installations and more.

September 28, 2019: 3:30pm - Bartlett Yard

Picture
Vertical Divider

secret desire to be black

We're thrilled to welcome back cellist Seth Parker Woods for our Gardner debut in a program featuring Alvin Singleton, Florence Price, and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson. With choreographer Kyle Marshall, we'll present  Julius Eastman's ten cello work "The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc" with new choreography.

October 27, 2019: 1:30pm - Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Purchase Tickets HERE

Picture
Vertical Divider

romantic by nature @ salem state

This program includes a newly unearthed string quartet by Florence Price and the Neo-Romantic flare of Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor in his monstrous Clarinet Quintet.

​November 14, 2019: 7:30pm - 
Salem State University
Picture

Picture
Vertical Divider

BY FIRE AND SWORD: TREVOR WESTON PORTRAIT 

Castle of our Skins is excited to be an Ensemble in Residence at the Longy School of Music at Bard College! As part of our residency, we will feature an immersive three-day residency focused on the music of Dr. Trevor Weston complete with lectures, master classes, open rehearsals and concerts culminating in our portrait concert "By Fire and Sword." The residency features the vocal, solo and chamber works of Trevor. 

​​​"By Fire and Sword" Portrait Concert:

December 14, 2019: 8:00pm - Pickman Hall
Picture

Picture
Composer and pianist Anthony R. Green
Vertical Divider
Castle of our Skins' first live streamed concert, brought to you by co-founder Anthony R. Green and featuring 18th and 19th century piano works by Black composers.

April 12, 2020: 1:30pm 

Anthony r. green live


Vertical Divider

anthony r. green's catto's courage world premiere

With students from the Boston String Academy and Josiah Quincy Elementary School Orchestra Programs, and presented by The Celebrity Series of Boston Neighborhood Arts program, we gave the virtual world premiere of Anthony R. Green’s "Catto’s Courage," a work inspired by freedom fighter and educator Octavius Catto .

Premiered live on April 23rd

Picture
Vertical Divider
COOS co-founders Ashleigh Gordon & Anthony R. Green

founder's chat


Vertical Divider

Julius Eastman "stay on it" virtual video premiere

Castle of our Skins and a collective of arts organizations (Challenge the Stats, Contemporaneous, Kyle Marshall Choreography,The Dream Unfinished, and presented by Lincoln Center) have teamed up to create a diverse and inclusive online orchestra performing "Stay On It"  by Julius Eastman. The performance is dedicated to blue-collar essential workers who overwhelmingly are people of color.

Premiered live on June 1st at 11am on the Lincoln Center's YouTube channel, Facebook page, and Lincoln Center at Home webpage.

Picture
Vertical Divider

kid's korner storytime readings

June 1: Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn & Giant Steps to Change the World by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee

June 8: Jacob Lawrence In The City by Susan Goldman Rubin & Old Mikamba Had a Farm by Rachel Isadora

June 15: Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen & Firebird by Caldecott Honoree

June 22 and June 29th: BONUS! African American Play Songs and Games

Picture
Vertical Divider
June 11th @8pm on Facebook Live: Charles Coe

poetry nightcap series


Picture
Vertical Divider
June 18th @8pm on Facebook Live: Regie Gibson

poetry nightcap series


Picture
Vertical Divider

Black composer miniature challenge

Composers who identify as part of the African Diaspora were challenged to compose pieces for co-founders Ashleigh and Anthony! 18 composers rose to the occasion!

Catch all 18 virtual world premiere works for solo viola, solo piano, and viola-piano duo live every Friday at noon on Facebook/Instagram (@CastleSkins).
​
See the full list of composers and video recaps HERE.

Picture
Vertical Divider

The Founder's Chat

This is a conversational series with the leaders of several outstanding music organizations representing Black artists. Co-founders Ashleigh Gordon and Anthony R. Green will hold discussions with an international roster of Black women - the leaders of these music organizations.

Tune in on our Facebook page (@CastleSkins) for these weekly interviews!


See the full line up and schedule HERE

Picture
Vertical Divider

poetry nightcap series

Join us for an evening nightcap of original poetry and bubbly, all from the comfort of your own home. We'll supply the poets, you bring the rest.

Select Thursdays in June @ 8pm on Facebook Live

June 25th @8pm on Facebook Live: Destiny Polk

Picture
Vertical Divider

Dances and Delights

We're excited to join our friends at the Boston Landmarks Orchestra for their 2nd digital summer concert featuring works by Black and Latinx composers! With conductor Christopher Wilkins and violin soloist/COOS crew member Gabriela Díaz, you'll hear:

Aldemaro Romero's Fuga con Pajarillo
David Baker's Roots II: Boogie Woogie
Florence Price's Five Folksongs in Counterpoint (selections)
Michael Abels' Delights and Dances
Astor Piazzolla's The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires (selections)

July 29th @7pm: 
Tune in to the Boston Landmarks' website to catch the performance!

Previous Concert & Education Series:

'18-'19 season vi

'17-'18
season v

'16-'17
season iv

'15-'16
​Season iii


 '14-'15
​SEASON II

'13-'14
​SEASON I

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
ABOUT
WHAT IS COOS?
LEADERS
ARTISTS
COLLABORATORS
CREATIVE IN RESIDENCE
​CONTACT
SEASON
2022-2023 SEASON
MASSQ BALL
​BPMC
​BSU FELLOWSHIP
​REPERTOIRE
EDUCATION
EDUCATION
AS TOLD BY
BIBA BLOG
​RESOURCES
PRESS
IN THE NEWS
​VIDEOS & IMAGES
CONTRIBUTE
DONATE
VOLUNTEER
JOIN THE BOARD
SPECIAL THANKS

STORE
A LITTLE HISTORY
X: CURRICULUM GUIDE
#BCMC VOL. 2 
#BCMC VOL. 1
JULIUS EASTMAN
FLORENCE PRICE

Member Login
Black concert series and educational programs in Boston and beyond
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
PRIVACY POLICY
  • ABOUT
    • WHAT IS COOS?
    • LEADERS
    • ARTISTS
    • COLLABORATORS
    • CREATIVE IN RESIDENCE
    • CONTACT
  • CAREERS
  • SEASON
    • 2022-2023 SEASON
    • MassQ Ball
    • Black Poet Miniature Challenge
    • BSU Fellowship
    • REPERTOIRE
  • EDUCATION
    • EDUCATION
    • AS TOLD BY
    • BIBA Blog
    • RESOURCES
  • PRESS
    • IN THE NEWS
    • Videos & Images
  • CONTRIBUTE
    • DONATE
    • VOLUNTEER
    • Join the Board
    • SPECIAL THANKS
  • Store