Watch and Listen!

Hello BIBA readers!

This post is a rather quick post in support of some digital content that is relatively recent. We here at Castle of our Skins love our digital content (and also love producing it for you all), and we just wanted to promote some projects that have recently came across our attention! The first: a series of two-part inventions by Jonathan Bailey Holland! 

Jonathan Bailey Holland’s works have been commissioned and performed by numerous ensembles, including the Atlanta, Baltimore, BBC, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Memphis, Minnesota, National, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Springfield, St. Louis, and South Bend Symphony Orchestras; as well as the Auros Group for New Music; the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble; Transient Canvas; Boston Opera Collaborative; Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia; Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies; Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestra; Orchestra 2001, and many others. He has received honors and awards from The Fromm Foundation, American Academy of Arts & Letters, Massachusetts Cultural Council, American Music Center, ASCAP, the Presser Foundation, and more. Castle of our Skins had the honor of featuring a world premiere miniature by Holland for the first Black Composer Miniature Challenge (or #BCMC 1.0)! These older inventions are quirky, serene, inspired - quite magical!

The second recommendation is a streaming concert called "I know why the caged bird sings" - Songs of Black American Composers!

Earlier this year, the Hampsong Foundation with Thomas Hampson, Louise Topping, and others, worked together to curate a massive project featuring music by Black composers. This project resulted in two live concerts and three streaming concerts, which are available to view till June 2022. The concert linked above features an array of songs by a wide range of past and present composers, including Castle of our Skins associate director Anthony R. Green! The diversity of music presented, the professionalism of the performances, the incredible videography and setting, and the entire philosophical implications of this ENTIRE PROJECT are significant. We hope you enjoy the stream and check out the other concert streams as well, and - if you have the time, of course - read the incredible content available on the website of the project! The link is : CLICK HERE!