Harlem Stage presents the Harlem Chamber Players and the Talea Ensemble in a tribute concert to the great Julius Eastman, performing his 1974 work, Femenine. Considered one of the most controversial and progressive composers of the 1970s and ’80s, Julius Eastman was a strong, vocal African-American queer artist whose music was nearly lost and his genius nearly forgotten forever.
In this performance, described by The New York Times as “meditative, kaleidoscopic, [and] eventually ecstatic,” 10 musicians from the Harlem Chamber Players and the Talea Ensemble pay tribute to this visionary artist. Eastman’s music bonds minimalism, jazz, and pop to create a joyous mesmerizing experience. This late revitalization of his work is sure to become a pillar in the development of contemporary music and will solidify Julius Eastman’s place in the canon.
AFTER THE PERFORMANCE scholar Isaac Jean-François joins musical director Christopher McIntyre in a discussion about Julius Eastman’s music and impact.
RECOMMENDED READING
Ellie Hisama. “‘Diving into the Earth’: The Musical Worlds of Julius Eastman.” In Rethinking Difference in Music Scholarship, edited by Olivia Bloechl, Melanie Lowe, and Jeffery Kallberg, 260-86. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (2015)
Renée Levine Packer and Mary Jane Leach, editors. Gay Guerilla: Julius Eastman and His Music. Rochester: University of Rochester Press. (2015)
Federica Bueti, Antonia Alampi, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, editors. We Have Delivered Ourselves From the Tonal –– Of, Towards, On, For Julius Eastman. Berline: Archive Books. (2020)
BEFORE YOU PURCHASE YOUR TICKET, please know that you must show proof of full Covid-19 vaccination, having completed the vaccination series at least 14 days prior to the performance date. Masks are required. Learn More about our safety protocols.
The Harlem Chamber Players (photo by Bob Curtis)
Talea Ensemble (photo by Beowulf Sheehan)