#BCMC MONTH!

Last year, right around this time, co-founders Anthony R. Green and Ashleigh Gordon came up with a number of ideas to keep up our presence throughout this period of being home, a period to which many of us have grown oddly accustomed (out of necessity). One of these ideas ended up taking on a life we did not expect at all ... which brings us to now! This month, we're celebrating our Black Composer Miniature Challenge! Released almost 1 year exactly today, the #BCMC in its first iteration received submissions from 18 incredible composers and creative musicians! A year out, Castle of our Skins has released a digital anthology of these pieces, which is available for purchase today!! Interested in purchasing? Please CLICK HERE to purchase this volume from our web store! 

Missed the pieces from last year? That's okay! The miniature performances are available on our Instagram, website, and will be featured here this month! As each piece is between 30 to 50 seconds, each piece is a gem that can be experienced quickly! The first 6 to be featured are Eddie Conrad, Juwon Ogungbe, Kathryn Patricia Cobbler, Monthati Masebe, Yaz Lancaster, and Mokale Koapeng! 

The youngest of the composers, Eddy's Tom Bombadil is a miniature about a Lord of the Rings character of the same name! It is happy, bright, and melodious! A joy to play!

This particular miniature is about a wedding tradition in Nigeria! What I love about this delightful gem is seamless transition to another key, symbolic of love's journey! 

The first of the solo viola miniatures, A Home Called 'Wander' incorporates spoken word as well. Ashe and Kathryn had a wonderful exchange in developing this miniature! 

This clever gem begins with the piano instruction to play with the index fingers, and eventually accelerate to the end! The rhythms here are fascinating ... and so surprising! 

Another solo viola miniature, Ashe is requested to sing - a color and a layer that adds another surprising dimension to this short yet poignant journey! 

Pholoso means "salvation", and this is the first of the gems in our series that has a bold, powerful character. It excites, and hopefully inspires the desire to enact justice and positive social change!

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Be sure to tune in next week for 6 more #BCMC miniatures with 6 reviews ... and an official announcement of our SECOND #BCMC, with works due in June! And if you want to buy some music after hearing, seeing, and reading about these 6 works above, be sure to CLICK HERE!