Ode to the Black Fiddler is an evening of string music performed by professional musicians of color. It is a platform to showcase the artistry of string musicians in all genres of music: Jazz, Hip-Hop, Latin, Classical, Spiritual and Alternative. This free event will also include food and drinks, DJ’s and highlight unique products and services presented by young entrepreneurs, local businesses and community organizations.
The concept of Ode of the Black Fiddler was born out of the history of unrecognized black string musicians or “fiddlers” during U.S. slavery– a history not known to most. According to the originator of Ode to the Black Fiddler, Iymaani Abdul-Hamid, a 28-year-old violist and graduate of NYU, “I wanted to teach my violin/viola students about Juneteenth—a day commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans–and connect this holiday to their string instruments. My research revealed that the violin was played by slaves and that they were also composers and virtuosic performers of classical music.”
Ode to the Black Fiddler Music Festival 2018 is a thoroughly curated line-up of today’s musicians of color that formulates an authentic and freeing music culture.
IAH Studio, LLC presents… 2nd Annual Ode to the Black Fiddler Music Festival… an afternoon of Free live string music presented by professional string musicians of color at the Gavin Brown’s Enterprise Gallery in Harlem, 435 West 127 Street, Harlem, NY, 10027, www.gavinbrown.biz/
Saturday, August 4, 2018, 4 pm to 10 pm
For more information, contact Yvette Berry, Public Relations Consultant, 718.991.7564 or send email to yberry_yberry@hotmail.com.
Photo credit: Stuff Smith is one of the 57 jazz musicians photographed in the 1958 portrait A Great Day in Harlem.
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