FEATURING

LaToya Lain, soprano
Ronnal Ford, violin
Ken Rogerson, viola
Brent Wissick, cello
Rick Eckberg, bass
Bridget O’Leary, piano

PROGRAM

Songs in a Troubled Key: Musical Settings of Poems of Langston Hughes by Margaret Bonds and John Shields Caldwell

The black American poet Langston Hughes visited UNC-Chapel Hill in late November of 1931, where his speech included a passionate and provocative defense of the Scottsboro Boys. In commemoration of this historical event, we present a world premiere of a set of Langston Hughes’ poems with music by North Carolina composer John Shields Caldwell (PhD Musicology – UNC 2021). Dr. LaToya Lain is the featured vocalist. She will be accompanied by a small chamber ensemble that includes Bridget O’Leary (piano), Brent Wissick (cello), Ronnal Ford (violin), Ken Rogerson (viola), and Rick Eckberg (bass). The program will also feature a song cycle by Margaret Bonds, a longtime collaborator with Langston Hughes.

Students can get CLE credit for this concert!

Please note: this is a cashless event.

TICKETS

$15 general admission
$10 students, faculty, and staff
Free UNC Music students, faculty, and staff

Purchase tickets online beginning September 1, or at the door 30 minutes prior to the concert start time.

PARKING

Please plan to arrive early as parking on campus can be tricky. Learn more about parking and directions to UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus.

This event is part of the 2024-2025 William S. Newman Artists Series, a series of select concerts celebrating the alliance of scholarship and performance that animates the lives of music faculty and students at Carolina. This concert is co-sponsored by the Stone Center and the Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies.