CAP UCLA Tune In Festival 2021

by Anthony R. Green

BIBA QUICKIE! In just over two weeks, the Center for the Art of Performance (CAP) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) will host another digital Tune In festival! This year's festival continues CAP UCLA's love of collaboration, and is curated by award-winning performance poet J. Ivy and pianist Lisa Kaplan (of eighth blackbird). The line-up includes a wide variety of musicians and artists, covering a diverse spectrum of genres and expression! For readers who followed my trip to Ghana through BIBA, you'll see one of the fruits of my travels in this digital festival. My video I returned. I wanted to. features music by myself, Liz Gre, and Shannon Sea, a poem by Angelina Weld Grimké, and a traditional hymn. All of these elements work together to explore Blackness and queerness in diaspora, and question the role of Christianity throughout history and race. Additionally, my string quartet Sacred Ground (... we can still feel the tremors ...) will be featured. This piece was commissioned by Chamber Music Tulsa to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, and the outstanding performance by the Thalea String Quartet will be available to watch during this digital festival. There will also be music by Jonathan Bailey Holland, Errollyn Wallen, spoken word, dance, and so much more! Check out the line-up HERE and the promo video below! You'll see me 2 seconds in, playing a pink toy piano ...