Good, Necessary Trouble
This global pandemic caused us to be reawakened to the ugly truth of the system on which America stands, and the people it has for so long neglected. As we begin to reckon with racial injustices and oppression as a country, we have witnessed an endless deluge of nationwide protesting.
"Good, Necessary Trouble" examines the role music plays in protesting injustice and in the telling of the stories from our history. This free virtual concert and conversation discusses what it means to use music as a catalyst for change.
This virtual concert premiered on Saturday, September 26, and is now available for on-demand streaming.
ABOUT THE EVENT
“Good, Necessary Trouble” features performances by Amaiya Holley, Makeda Loney, To Music;, Cameo Humes, Leah Dexter, John A. Bitoy III, and Tiana Sorenson, accompanied by a live panel discussion featuring Kyle Dickson, Danielle “Yelley” Taylor, and Kedrick Armstrong. Make the most out of this virtual concert by downloading our program book.
“My philosophy is very simple: when you see something that is not right, not fair, not just...say something! Do something! Get in trouble! Good trouble! Necessary trouble!”
A tribute to John Lewis
The inspiration for tomorrow's concert is Rep. John Lewis. Born in Alabama, he was the youngest speaker at the March on Washington in 1963 at the age of 23. Footage of him being beaten by police in Selma expedited the passing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, and he was the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee until 1966, which was famous for organizing lunch counter sit-ins in North Carolina and Tennessee. He served as a congressman in the state of Georgia for 33 years before he passed of pancreatic cancer in July of this year, where he was widely considered to be the conscience of Congress. Rep. Lewis lived his life intent on getting into "good trouble." He was arrested 40 times between 1960-1966 and was routinely beaten unconscious by police. This streak of good trouble and fierce independence followed him to Congress, where not only did he boycott the inaugurations of George W. Bush and Donald Trump, but also the Million Man March organized by Louis Farrakhan, saying his statements were "divisive and bigoted." He famously led the sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives in 2016 protesting government inaction in the wake of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting, and was extremely vocal during the impeachment hearings of Donald Trump, reminding his colleagues of their obligation to stand up in the face of wrong doings and cast the right vote. We feel humbled and honored to offer this concert as a tribute in the shadow of such a giant.
THE ARTISTS
Amaiya Holley is a 2018 graduate of Bowie State University, where she received a Bachelors of Science in Theater Arts. During her matriculation at Bowie State, she made her professional debut in Black Nativity at Theater Alliance in Washington D.C. Now, a resident of New York City, Amaiya attended Stella Adler Studio of Acting for their Black Arts Program, which upon completion landed her a lead role in George Brant’s West Coast Premiere of Marie and Rosetta at Cygnet Theater. Amaiya has lofty aspirations of tackling the biggest stage of them all, Broadway! Amaiya thanks her HBCU and family for the unconditional support.
John Bitoy is a Chicago based pianist who started playing at the age of nine, and has had the opportunity of being able to perform solo recitals across the county. He has also done guest lectures and performances on Arabic music and minority representation in music at the University of Chicago and Smith College. He has an undergraduate piano performance degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC), and masters degree at DePaul also in piano performance. In addition to classical music, he also enjoys experimenting with other genres such as gospel, jazz, neo soul, R&B, and pop. Recently, he had his orchestral debut as piano soloist with the Symphony of Oak Park performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. John is looking forward to joining Hearing in Color as featured accompanist on this concert!
Makeda Loney is a writer by trade, poet by force. In her career, she has been named to impressive industry lists, including The Drum’s 50 under 30 in the U.S. in 2018, joined the ADCOLOR FUTURES Class of 2019, and The Pitch Fanzine’s 100 Supermen and Women of 2020. She also serves as a content creator for Scapi Magazine, co-hosting a podcast called Fat Outta Hell, a podcast that strives to break down the stigma of fatness and celebrates body liberation. As a Brooklyn native living in Chicago, her love for grit and glamour knows no bounds – from sending people glitter-coated poetry in the mail to literally covering herself in it in her various performances. She can also be heard arguing with Chicagoans over acceptable pizza depth and trying to spread a little glitter everywhere she goes.
![Hailed by critics for possessing a “compelling lyric tenor that pulses with the perennially conflicted feelings of the character” [Opera News] and a “sonorous, dark-hued timbre which vividly projected the complicated nature of the drama” [theWholeNo…](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ccc8e57840b163193df2415/1600922347070-5L2R25YJO7Q6Y9I6V1B0/Cameo+Humes.jpg)
Hailed by critics for possessing a “compelling lyric tenor that pulses with the perennially conflicted feelings of the character” [Opera News] and a “sonorous, dark-hued timbre which vividly projected the complicated nature of the drama” [theWholeNote], CAMEO HUMES is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after tenors in operatic and concert repertoire. He has performed with the Richmond Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, SANAA Opera Project, Hilton Head Choral Society, and the Orchestra Sinfonica dell’International Chamber Ensemble in Italy. His most recent engagement included a debut with Teatro alla Scala in the roles of Peter, Crab man, Mingo and Robbins in their production of Porgy and Bess. Other operatic credits include the title role in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, Ottavio (Don Giovanni) with Operafestival di Roma, Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Gastone (La Traviata), Prunier (La Rondine), Peter (Porgy and Bess) with Lyric Opera of Chicago (cover), Dayton Opera and Skylight Music Theatre of Milwaukee, Crab man (Porgy and Bess) with The Princeton Festival, Nelson (Porgy and Bess) with Cincinnati Opera, and Ensemble (Show Boat) with Houston Grand Opera.
Wisconsin raised and currently Chicago based, Tiana Sorenson recently graduated from Northwestern University with her Master of Music in Voice and Opera. From chorus to opera to concert works, Tiana enjoys exploring and performing various repertoire. An advocate for human rights, she recently spoke on a #BlackVoicesMatter virtual panel with Milwaukee's early music ensemble Aperi Animam.
Mezzo-soprano Leah Dexter is praised for having “…an opulent tone and characterization to match” (Opera News) and for delivering “sumptuous work” (Chicago Tribune) in her performances. The 2018-19 and current season saw Ms. Dexter in the world premiere performances of Shore’s Freedom Ride with Chicago Opera Theater, a debut as alto soloist in Mahler’s Symphony Nr. 2 with Chicago Sinfonietta, soloist for South Shore Opera of Chicago’s 10th Anniversary Gala, and alto soloist in Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with University of Chicago Symphony and Chorus. Upcoming engagements for the 2019-20 season include the world premiere of Garrop/Dye’s The Transformation of Jane Doe with Chicago Opera Theater, and covering roles for Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Blue (Tesori). Highlights of recent past seasons include Chicago Opera Theater’s Scarlet Ibis, Frida with Michigan Opera Theatre, a debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago in Porgy and Bess, a solo debut with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt with Lyric Opera of Chicago, and appearances with South Shore Opera in Kurt Weill's Seven Deadly Sins. A native of Detroit, Ms. Dexter studied violin, cello, and ballet for many years and received both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of Michigan. She is a past alumnus of the Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera North Young Artist programs and the Sarasota Opera Studio Artist program.
THE PANELISTS
Kyle Dickson is a distinguished violinist, conductor, music educator, and advocate for the arts. He previously served as Conductor of the CWCMC Orchestra and as Music Director of the Detroit Festival Camerata. He currently is a Freeman Conducting Fellow with Chicago Sinfonietta, under the mentorship of Maestro Mei-Ann Chen and selected to be Assistant Conductor of Spoleto Festival USA in the summer of 2020/2021. Kyle is pursuing graduate studies in Orchestral Conducting with Maestro Victor Yampolsky at Northwestern University. Founder of Chicago Solisti Chamber Orchestra, Kyle was Artist-In-Residence with the Hyde Park Youth Symphony for the 2018-2019 season and is Assistant Conductor of the South Side Chicago Youth Symphony. Additionally, he has worked with the United World College of South East Asia Orchestra in Singapore, Northwestern University Philharmonia, Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, Berwyn’s Project 88, and Maine West Orchestra Fest among others.
Conductor Kedrick Armstrong uses joy and curiosity for all music to drive his pursuit to foster understanding and fellowship within diverse communities. He currently works throughout the Chicagoland area conducting orchestras, operas, and choirs, in a range of musical genres. Kedrick recently served as the assistant conductor for Chicago Opera Theater’s production of Freedom Ride. He’s also served as Music Supervisor for a special outreach and education project at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Lyric’s community engagement and education group, Lyric Unlimited, partners with the Chicago Urban League to administer an afterschool program, “EmpowerYouth! Igniting Creativity through the Arts,” the first year of which culminated in a public performance of a student-produced musical stage work at the Lyric Opera House. Kedrick’s passion for education has also led him to work with the Ravinia Festival’s REACH*TEACH*PLAY program.
A graduate of Northwestern and Oberlin, violist Danielle "Yelley" Taylor is the organizer of heartspace: an online gathering of black classical musicians with a common goal of networking, support, and the maintaining of a safe space for those of a shared experience. Yelley is a native of Oakland, CA and is a Blacktivist in her own right.