Year Three

In the third year of As Told By, Castle of our Skins teaching artist Steph Davis worked with two string quartets from Project STEP to explore the legacy of Frederick Douglass during Fall 2024. Through interactive workshops, students delved into Douglass’s life and impact, the meaning of abolition, and the essential yet often overlooked influence of Anna Murray Douglass. They also studied and performed traditional slave songs from the 19th century, gaining deeper musical and historical context.

The words, reflections, and musical connections from these sessions were shared with composer Yaz Lancaster, who was commissioned by Castle of our Skins to create a new work inspired by the students’ engagement. The resulting piece, as i recall, was shaped in collaboration with the students and further developed through coaching with COOS cellist Francesca McNeeley and Yaz themselves.

as i recall premiered in May 2025 at Boston’s Symphony Hall as part of Project STEP’s Spring Recital. The piece was later performed again in June 2025 as a musical prelude to Castle of our Skins’ And Freedom’s Reign concert at the Museum of African American History (Boston, MA), coinciding with the unveiling of the Museum’s new AI-powered hologram of Frederick Douglass.