Theatre Audience Development/ Curated Programs
‘American Moor’ Philadelphia Premiere
Associate Producer, The Brothers’ Network
Playwright Keith Hamilton Cobb Directed by Kash Goins
Opening November 13, 2024, through December 15, 2024
Lantern Theater Company, at St. Stephen’s Theatre 923 Ludlow Street, Philadelphia, PA
Please Purchase Your Tickets HERE using TBN Discount Code TBN5 and BALDWIN35 for $35 tickets on Black Theatre Night, Saturday, November 30, 2024 @8 PM
Playwright Keith Hamilton Cobb
Synopsis: American Moor
An actor auditions for the title role in Othello. From this simple scenario springs a rich and penetrating exploration of Shakespeare in a story told with wit, passion, and linguistic brilliance. The conflicting views of the actor and the director shine a revealing light on race and art in modern America, and bring a refreshing new perspective on the enduring power of Shakespeare's work.
Director Kash Goins
‘American Moor’ Philadelphia Premiere
Associate Producer, The Brothers’ Network
Playwright Keith Hamilton Cobb Directed by Kash Goins
Opening November 13, 2024, through December 15, 2024
Lantern Theater Company, at St. Stephen’s Theatre 923 Ludlow Street, Philadelphia, PA
Please Purchase Your Tickets HERE using TBN Discount Code TBN5 and BALDWIN35 for $35 tickets on Black Theatre Night, Saturday, November 30, 2024 @8 PM
Playwright Keith Hamilton Cobb
Synopsis: American Moor
An actor auditions for the title role in Othello. From this simple scenario springs a rich and penetrating exploration of Shakespeare in a story told with wit, passion, and linguistic brilliance. The conflicting views of the actor and the director shine a revealing light on race and art in modern America, and bring a refreshing new perspective on the enduring power of Shakespeare's work.
Director Kash Goins
Raphaël Feuillâtre, Guitar
November 21, 2024, 7:30 PM
Purchase Your TBN Discount Tickets by calling 267.334.4897
TBN Discount Tickets $20
Regular price ticket $30
About This Performance
One of the most exciting classical guitarists of his generation, Raphaël Feuillâtre has been praised for “his amazing sensitivity to his music and ability to create varied and beautiful soundscapes with his instrument” (Herald Tribune). The French guitarist’s PCMS debut offers an inspiring range of repertoire, spanning from Johann Sebastian Bach to the 20th century.
Bach: Prelude in C Major, BWV 846, from Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I
Couperin: Les barricades mystérieuses
Duphly: Médée
Royer: L’aimable
Bach: Concerto in D Major, BWV 972 (after Vivaldi)
Scarlatti: Sonata in A Major, K. 208
Soles: Two Catalan Folk Songs
Arcas: Fantasia on themes from La Traviata
Albéniz: Suite española, Op. 47, No. 5, Asturias (Leyenda)
Tarrega: Three Preludes
Mangoré: La Catedral
Piazzolla: Adiós Nonino
Dyens: Triaela: Clown Down (Sel)
Raphaël Feuillâtre has received support from the Savarez string company and plays on Creation Cantiga Premium strings.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
StoryCorps ‘Brightness in Black’ Launch
Saturday, September 14, 2024, Noon - 4 PM
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
300 S Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa, 19102
RSVP HERE
StoryCorps is committed to the idea that everyone has an important story to tell and that everyone’s story matters. Our mission: to help us believe in each other by illuminating the humanity and possibility in us all — one story at a time. Since our founding in 2003, we’ve helped nearly 700,000 people across the country have meaningful conversations about their lives. These recordings are collected in the U.S. Library of Congress and in our online archive which is now the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered.
“Just as James Baldwin wrote, 'Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced,' we are now facing the monolithic narrative that has for too long constrained the perception of Black life. Through The Brothers' Network, you've been chipping away at this edifice of ignorance, revealing the intricate tapestry of Black male excellence.
Now, with Brightness in Black, we have the opportunity to throw open the doors of perception, to flood the American consciousness with the light of our multifaceted truths.”
The Brothers' Network, founded in 2007, is thrilled to announce our partnership with StoryCorps' ‘Brightness in Black’ initiative. The initiative collaborates with broad communities to collect and amplify cultural stories that are joyous and bold. This initiative and partnership recalibrates authentic and transformative countering harmful narratives about the experiences of being Black in America.
Our collaboration perfectly aligns with the overall mission, vision, and values of The Brothers’ Network to solidify the brilliance of Black men in America through history, heritage, culture, and the arts.
September 14, 2024, Noon-4 p.m. live at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 S Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19102.
RSVP: www.StoryCorps.org/org/bib-launch
This experience will feature powerful discussions, live performances, and a chance to record your own story. Gregory Walker, Global Creative Executive Director, will be a panelist in the conversation on the importance of ‘Brightness in Black’.
Let's work together to ensure the voices, stories, and authentic narratives of Black men are included and amplified in StoryCorps’ ‘Brightness in Black’.
Reserve Now: https://storycorps.org/discover/brightness-in-black/events/brightness-in-black-philadelphia-launch/
To ensure a broad representation, please share this opportunity with your friends, family, coworkers, colleagues, and fellow college students. Everyone is invited to participate!
Here is an example of some of the stories: https://storycorps.org/discover/brightness-in-black/
“David C. Driskell and Friends: Creativity, Collaboration, and Friendship”
Talk and tour with Dr. Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, Faculty Director of the Arthur Ross Gallery and Class of 1940 Bicentennial Term Professor in the Department of Art History in the School of Arts & Sciences.
Friday, August 9, 2024 @ 10 A.M. EST
Arthur Ross Gallery 220 South 34th Street Philadelphia, PA, 19104
Text 26.334.4897 To RSVP
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
James* by Percival Everett Book Discussion
Hosted by Sterling Johnson and his son, Shane Johnson
Sunday, July 28, 2024 @ 4 P.M.
NEW Location: Bower Cafe 1213
1213 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19107
To RSVP Please Text: 267-334-4897
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
James* by Percival Everett Book Discussion
Hosted by Sterling Johnson and his son, Shane Johnson
Sunday, July 28, 2024 @ 4 P.M.
NEW Location: Bower Cafe 1213
1213 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19107
To RSVP Please Text: 267-334-4897
New York, New York
The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York, United States
NOW through July 28th, 2024
The Picnic by Archibald Motley.
“The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism,” will include the works of more than 100 artists from the early 20th century — a time early in the Great Migration, when Black life and Black art was being transformed. It was an artistic revolution that, according to the Met, upended the international understanding of modern art and modern life and changed “the very fabric of early 20th-century modern art.”
Curator Denise Murrell, said the term “Harlem Renaissance” generally refers to a cohort of artists who were “committed to the idea of portraying the modern Black subject in a modern way,” reflecting the changing cultural reality and vibrancy of places like Harlem. She described the style as one that combines African aesthetics with more experimental and expressionistic forms of European modernism.
Denise Murrell, curator of the exhibit, speaking with our founder, Gregroy T. Walker.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Quintessence Theatre Presents, ‘Father Comes Home From The Wars Parts 1, 2, & 3’
Written by Suzan-Lori Parks
Directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges
Quintessence Theatre 7137 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19119
June 1, 2024- June 23, 2024
Please Use Code TBN2024 for 20% Off Your Ticket Purchase
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
Hero, an enslaved Texan, is offered a deal - to join his master in the Confederate army with the promise of emancipation if he survives — or to remain with his true love Penny and work the plantation. Creating a new Black American history cycle, Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks changes our perspective on the American Civil War and dramatizes the events leading up to Juneteenth.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ramayana
From the epic by Valmiki
Created with Papermoon Puppet Theatre of Java & Kalanari Theatre Movement of Bali
June 12-16, 2024
The Navy Yard, 5000 S 11th St, Philadelphia, PA 19112
June 12, 2024 - June 16, 2024
To RSVP Please Contact: gregorytwalker@gmail.com or Call 267-334-4897
More than 28 years in the making, EgoPo presents the world-premiere re-telling of the ancient Hindu epic in collaboration with two of Indonesia’s vanguards in the performing arts. This performance will take place in The Navy Yard, under a giant open air tent. The staging integrates the puppetry, dance, theater and music expertise of the three companies to tell one of the world’s oldest stories about the unbreakable power of the human spirit. Performances will be surrounded by Rama’s Fest, a week-long celebration of Indonesian food and culture.
Performance Dates
6/12/2024 - 7:30PM
6/13/2024 - 7:30PM
6/14/2024 - 7:30PM
6/15/2024 - 2:00PM
6/15/2024 - 7:30PM
6/16/2024 - 7:30PM
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Donors Only Event
Orchestra2001 Presents
ENGOMA ENTEERA:
Classical Music from Uganda
In appreciation of your donation, this program is complimentary to you!
To RSVP Please Contact: gregorytwalker@gmail.com or Call 267-334-4897
Friday, June 14, 2024; 7:30 pm
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul |
1723 Race St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103 (18th & Ben Franklin Pkwy/ east side of Logan Circle)
Justinian Tamusuza, Composer
Na'Zir McFadden, Conductor
National Portrait Gallery, London, England, The Time is Always Now
Artists Reframe the Black Figure
Formidable … Nanny of the Maroons’ Fifth Act of Mercy by Kimathi Donkor (2012). Photograph: Courtesy of the Artist and Niru Ratnam, London. Photo: Tim Bowditch
Exhibition Dates: February 22, 2024 - May 19, 2024, National Portrait Gallery St Martin’s Place London, England
Fault-lines and glitches … Father Stretch My Hands by Nathaniel Mary Quinn (2021). Photograph: © Nathaniel Mary Quinn. Photo: Rob McKeever. Courtesy Gagosian
She was learning to love moments, to love moments for themselves by Amy Sherald (2017) © Amy Sherald. Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth.
A major study of the Black figure – and its representation in contemporary art.
The exhibition, curated by writer Ekow Eshun, showcases the work of contemporary artists from the African diaspora, including Michael Armitage, Lubaina Himid, Kerry James Marshall, Toyin Ojih Odutola and Amy Sherald, and highlights the use of figures to illuminate the richness and complexity of Black life. As well as surveying the presence of the Black figure in Western art history, we examine its absence – and the story of representation told through these works, as well as the social, psychological, and cultural contexts in which they were produced. —National Portrait Gallery
Stephen Burks: Shelter in Place
Now—Through April 14, 2024
Images from the Philadelphia Museum of Art
For nearly twenty years, industrial designer Stephen Burks has forged a unique path by finding opportunities for innovation in the space between handcraft and industry, which has become a hallmark of his practice. Burks and his studio Stephen Burks Man Made have collaborated with artisans and craftspeople all over the globe, from Senegal and South Africa to Peru and the Philippines, to develop collections that creatively synthesize handcraft traditions with industrial production. Guiding Burks’s approach is his underlying belief that design should be inclusive of all cultural perspectives and backgrounds.
Stephen Burks is the recipient of the 2023 Design Excellence Award, which is issued by Collab, the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s affiliate group for modern and contemporary design. He is the first African American designer to receive this award. —Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents Demarre McGill, flute; Anthony McGill, clarinet; Charles Overton, harp; Catalyst Quartet
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SOLD OUT
〰️ SOLD OUT
Thursday, March 28th, 2024 at 7:30pm
American Philosophical Society
Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106
From Left to Right: Demarre McGill, Anthony McGill, and Charles Overton
Use The Brothers’ Network’s discount code “BRONET24” when purchasing tickets.
Brothers Anthony and Demarre McGill have achieved a phenomenal level of success in the classical music world. The only siblings ever to win the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, Anthony was appointed the principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic, and Demarre is the principal flutist of the Seattle Symphony. The Grammy Award winning Catalyst Quartet and harpist Charles Overton join these two outstanding wind musicians for a program that encompasses new works by Jeff Scott and Brian Raphael Nabors and Ravel’s dazzling Introduction et Allegro.
Saint-Saëns: Fantaisie for Flute and Harp, Op. 124
Scott: Sextet World Premiere/PCMS Co-Commission
Nabors: 7 Dances Philadelphia Premiere
Ravel: Introduction et Allegro
The Brothers’ Network: Dispatch from Rome, Italy
"What the Future Holds"
Featuring the work of Giggs Kgole and William Mistouflet
February 6 - 23, 2024
Temple University Rome
Lungotevere Arnaldo da Brescia, 15
Top Row: work of Giggs Kgole, left to right Temple installation X.2024, Me and the IT Clown are Friends. 2019-ongoing, Jika gape. 2019
Bottom Row: work of William Mistouflet, left to right Hryggð III, I Think I’m Okay, Time For Change. 2021
About Giggs:
Giggs Kgole, known as Kgole, is a visionary artist whose creative journey transcends boundaries. From his roots in Kutupu Village, Limpopo, to international acclaim in Rome, Kgole's artistry reflects a rich tapestry of cultural, interpersonal, and psychological experiences. His unique use of Anaglyphs and diverse mediums, coupled with a commitment to social causes, sets him apart. Kgole's recent works, stemming from his emotional return to his village, evoke a powerful connection to his roots. The upcoming show at John Cabot University in Rome promises a captivating blend of visual and emotional narratives. As a Black artist, Kgole's pieces resonate with untold stories, capturing the essence of Black history and societal contributions. Uplifting his community is at the core of Kgole's mission. Working alongside his mother in Limpopo, he infuses personal experiences into his creations, fostering a profound connection with viewers. With recent exhibitions in LA and upcoming shows in Rome and Tuscany, Kgole's trajectory in the art industry is a compelling narrative worth following. Collecting Kgole's work means embracing a journey of cultural exploration, social consciousness, and artistic innovation. His creations serve as a beacon of inspiration for the youth, and supporting his story contributes to the flourishing legacy of a dynamic artist shaping the global creative landscape.
About the William:
William Mistouflet (France, 1999). William will graduate from the Rome Academy of Fine Arts (RUFA) in 2026. An artist who works with both photography and printmaking, William Mistouflet’s work stems from different emotional responses inspired by expressionist characteristics; his photography focuses on urban scenes from his commutes, captured on a mobile camera. (Courtesy of Temple University Rome)
Using printmaking as my canvas, I specialize in creating prints that explore the intricate depths of the human psyche. My printmaking techniques enable me to craft detailed and thought-provoking atmospheres inspired by expressionist characteristics, using mark-making and etching techniques to my advantage. I delve into themes of mental health, nihilism, death, loneliness, and the dark sides of life, creating emotionally charged pieces that reflect my own struggles and establish a vulnerable relationship with my audience.
During the lockdown, my art took a more political approach. I created pieces in response to the events that occurred during the pandemic, such as the Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd's death and the Kill The Bill protests after Sarah Everard's murder.
My photographic art varies from black and white to colour, as I use my technical prowess and profound understanding of how the absence or presence of colour can evoke different emotions.
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents Aaron Diehl, piano
Wednesday, February 14th, 2024 at 7:30pm
In the Perelman Theater in the Kimmel Cultural Campus
300 S Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102
Use The Brothers’ Network’s discount code “BRONET24” when purchasing tickets.
“Melodic precision, harmonic erudition, and elegant restraint” (New York Times) are hallmarks of Aaron Diehl’s playing. Praised for his “freedom and playfulness” (Philadelphia Inquirer), this celebrated musical polymath makes his PCMS debut with a program titled: An Evening of Ragtime and Harlem Stride. One of the most athletic forms of jazz piano from the early 20th century, “stride” features a characteristic leaping left hand and a heavy use of improvisation and syncopation. It was also highly competitive. Pianists would often have “cutting contests,” many times at Harlem rent parties, where performances occurred in homes to help the tenants and musicians make ends meet. Aaron Diehl’s Valentine’s Day recital connects that history to our current time with a concert featuring compositions by James P. Johnson, Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller, Willie ‘the Lion’ Smith, and other luminaries from the 1920’s.
An Evening of Ragtime and Harlem Stride
featuring works by Eubie Blake, Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Scott Joplin, and more
Keith Boykin Book Launch
Friday, February 2, 2024
at Theatre Exile
1340 S 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
““A remarkable evening! Thank you so much for all your work in developing the Brothers Network over the years. Last night’s encounter with Keith Boykin and the discussion of his most recent book was quite a gathering and very stimulating. ”
| 'A Case for the Existence of God' IS BARRYMORE RECOMENDED! |
| 'A Case for the Existence of God' IS BARRYMORE RECOMENDED! |
Winter 2024 at Theatre Exile
January 4 - January 28, 2024
‘A Case for the Existence of God’
by Samuel D. Hunter
Directed by Matt Pfeiffer
Associate Produce By The Brothers’ Network
With humor, empathy and wrenching honesty this play unfolds in an office cubicle where two people unexpectedly choose to bring one another into their fragile worlds. Keith and Ryan, discuss the chokehold of financial insecurity and bond over the precariousness of fatherhood. This “must-see heartbreaker of a play” (New York Times) offers a bird’s eye view of how the love you put into the world is what really survives – even when you can’t see it yourself.
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents Kuwento Mizik with Jean Bernard Cerin, baritone and Veena Kulkarni-Rankin, piano
Tuesday, December 5th, 2023 at 7:30pm
American Philosophical Society
Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106
Use The Brothers’ Network’s discount code “TBN23” when purchasing tickets.
2022 Musical Fund Society Award winner Jean Bernard Cerin and pianist Veena Kulkarni-Rankin fuse classical and world music with storytelling in a transformative concert experience as the duo Kuwento Mizik. Informed by the artists’ Indian, Filipino, American and Haitian heritage, the duo takes listeners around the world through music programs that span European and American art songs, Brazilian and Haitian folk music to Indian and Persian love songs.
In Krik! Krak! Songs and Stories from Haiti, listeners will take a deep dive into the rarely explored world of Haitian art songs, solo classical piano repertoire, arrangements of traditional folk songs for the concert stage and Kuwento Mizik’s original adaptation of the Haitian folktale, Tezen.
Camp Siegfried: Philadelphia Premiere
Associate Producers: The Brothers’ Network
October 26, 2023 - November 19, 2023
At Theatre Exile
1340 S. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19147
This timely tale inspired by the real Camp Siegfried in 1938, offers what the New York Times calls a "terrifying psychosexual brew of sadism and fascism" masked as a coming-of-age story which illuminates how easv it is to be seduced by hate.
To purchase tickets please follow the provided link.
TAMBO & BONES: A Play by Dave Harris
October 5, 2023 - November 11, 2023
At The Bookspan Theatre at The Den
1331 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Tambo and Bones find themselves in a tricky situation: they are trapped in a minstrel show. How do you get out of that? Might have to attack the playwright who put you there. Might need to become a famous rap legend. Might need to start something. Def need to let them know you’re a real person. You’re a real person. You’re a real person? From the fearlessly defiant, fresh American voice of playwright Dave Harris, Tambo & Bones is a dark comedy (and a rap concert) that pulls back the curtain on every theater experience the audience has had before.
To purchase tickets please follow the provided link.
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello
Tuesday, November 7th, 2023 at 7:30pm
In the Perelman Theater in the Kimmel Cultural Campus
300 S Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102
To purchase your tickets you must call the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society box office at 215-569-8080 and indicate you’d like to use The Brothers’ Network discount for your tickets.
Following a sold-out 2019 PCMS debut with his sister and recital partner Isata, British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason returns to the Perelman Theater for a program that includes the Philadelphia premieres of solo cello works by Cuban composer Leo Brouwer and Welsh pianist Gwilym Simcock. Kanneh-Mason’s “light baritone tone quality often blossoms coloristically within the bounds of a single note. In fact, it’s hard to really talk about individual notes in his playing because so much of what he does comes off in lyrically rendered sound shapes” (Philadelphia Inquirer).
Bach: Suite in D Minor, BWV 1008
Simcock: Prayer for the Senses Philadelphia Premiere
Britten: Suite No. 1, Op. 72
Brouwer: Sonata No. 2 Philadelphia Premiere
Finnis: Five Preludes
Cassadó: Suite for Solo Cello
Bird/Diz by Warren C. Longmire
An innovative new erasure chapbook from Warren C. Longmire, BIRD/DIZ [AN ERASED HISTORY OF BEBOP] navigates the personal and artistic lives of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie through the author’s own roving imagination.
What becomes of a history overwritten, sampled, celebrated and smeared? How do we find creation past erasure? Part new media archive, part visual poetry project, BIRD/DIZ [AN ERASED HISTORY OF BEBOP] is a journey into highs and lows of Black America’s first global music export. Taking biographies of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie as a jumping off point, BIRD/DIZ jumps between actual erasures of the written/oral history of Bebop, redacted poems taken from those words, and reflections on historic performances from some of jazz’s chief characters. From St. Louis heroin dins to Copenhagen sound stages, it strives to find, in the continued disappearance of Black American contributions to world art, the seed of innovation that never dies.
Warren C. Longmire is an uncle, writer, performer and educator from the bad part of Philadelphia. He is the current host of House Poet: A Spoken Word Dance Party and Monday Poets at the Philadelphia Free Library. He's been published in journals including Cartridge Lit, The Cleveland Review of Books, The American Poetry Review and is featured in the Best American Poetry 2021. His latest book, Bird/Diz [an erased history of bebop] was released in Nov. 2022 through BUNNY Presse.
Exhibition Tour with The Brothers’ Network
Join us for a guided tour of Henry Taylor’s newest exhibit “Nothing Change, Nothing Strange” at The Fabric Workshop and Museum located at 1214 Arch Street, Philadelphia PA 19107.
RSVP with gregorytwalker@gmail.com
The Brothers’ Network is committed to showing broad and diverse narratives of Black men in by doing so, we expand the multiplicity of identity of Black men. The Brothers’ Network is excited to host YOU for a docent guided tour through the exhibition of the brilliant fabric work of Henry Taylor. The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) in Philadelphia features artist in residence Henry Taylor. Nothing Change, Nothing Strange is the direct result of an 18-month residency, this ambitious exhibition features an immersive sculptural environment created through Henry Taylor’s continued exploration of painting and sculpture alongside his first experimentation with textiles.
Presenting Black Birders
The Free Library of Philadelphia presents Christian Cooper in conversation with Tamala Edwards
Tuesday June 27th, 2023 7:30 pm at Parkway Central Library
1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
Central Park birder Christian Cooper is the host and consulting producer on the National Geographic channel’s Extraordinary Birder and is on the board of directors of the New York City Audubon Society. Also a groundbreaking comics writer, he introduced the first openly lesbian character for Marvel, conceived the first gay male character in the Star Trek universe via the Starfleet Academy comics series, and created Queer Nation: The Online Gay Comic. In Better Living Through Birding, Cooper tells the story of his life leading up to the morning in May 2020 when he was engaged in the birdwatching ritual that had been a part of his life since he was a child—and what might have been a routine encounter with a dog walker exploded age-old racial tensions. Cooper’s viral video of the incident would shock the nation. Also part travelogue and primer on the art of birding, the book follows his worldwide avian adventures, explores his unique career, and offers insights into the ways his long history of looking up have prepared him to be a gay, Black man in contemporary America.
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents Castle of our Skins
May 17th, 2023 at 7:30pm
In the Perelman Theater in the Kimmel Cultural Campus
300 S Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102
Use The Brothers’ Network’s discount code “BRONET23” when purchasing tickets.
Born of a desire to foster cultural curiosity, Castle of our Skins is a concert and educational series dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music. The Boston Musical Intelligencer praises the ensemble’s programmatic choices for complementing and reinforcing each other, and the “impressive performers” for communicating “directly and movingly with their audience.” Highlighting the ensemble’s PCMS debut program is the Philadelphia premiere of a new work (co-commissioned by PCMS) by flutist/ composer Allison Loggins-Hull.
Louise Toppin, coloratura soprano; Brian Dunbar, flute; Ashleigh Gordon, viola; Kyle P. Walker, piano
Time is an Impatient Thing
Coleman: Fanmi Imen
Perry: The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah
Green: …all that is good…
Hailstork: Sanctum Rhapsody
Loggins-Hull: Shine World Premiere/PCMS Co-Commission
The Brothers’ Network and Theatre Exile present Abandon by James Ijames
April 27th, 2023 through May 21st, 2023
At Theatre Exile
1340 S 13th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147
Luella is alone – haunted by the ghost of her son. Joshua is alone – kicked out of his house by his brother. One winter night these two people collide. Luella is looking for redemption; Joshua is looking for family. By the next morning, these two lonely souls are meshed together into an American Family in its truest sense. A world premiere by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright James Ijames, Abandon is sometimes violent, sometimes healing; with a gossamer veil that separates the worlds of the living and the dead, and shame and acceptance.
Abandon by James Ijames contains substantial physical violence, use of a prop gun, loud noises, and the smoking of herbal cigarettes.
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents Dover Quartet with Joseph Conyers, double bass
April 4th, 2023 at 7:30pm
In the Perelman Theater in the Kimmel Cultural Campus
300 S Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102
Use The Brothers’ Network’s discount code “BRONET23” when purchasing tickets.
Known for their “expert musicianship, razor-sharp ensemble, and deep musical feeling” (Chicago Tribune), the Dover Quartet returns to the PCMS stage with Philadelphia Orchestra double-bassist Joseph Conyers, “a lyrical musician who plays with authenticity that transcends mere technique” (Grand Rapids Press). Following string quartets by Joseph Haydn and George Walker, Conyers and the Dover unite for Antonín Dvořák’s lush, richly-textured Quintet in G Major, Op. 77.
Haydn: Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 33, No. 2, The Joke
Walker: Quartet No. 1
Dvořák: Quintet in G Major, Op. 77
Corridor Contemporary is proud to present “No Middle Cla$$” - a solo exhibition of works by King Saladeen.
“My work has always been concerned with commemoration, with remembering, and with showing my pride in my story. With “No Middle Cla$$” I want to bring you with me into my meditations on the landscape of my childhood, but I also want to give you a lens for seeing some of those struggles and all the existing promise. So, while the works I present in “No Middle Cla$$” demonstrate my self-taught skill in their textured, multi-media approach, they are also an incredibly exciting homage to the city of my childhood and a full-circle moment for me.”
- King Saladeen
Corridor Contemporary is located at 1315 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19125
PRIVATE GALLERY TOUR WITH THE BROTHERS’ NETWORK:
November 11, 2022 - January 30, 2023
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents Davóne Tines, bass baritone, with John Bitoy, piano
Use The Brothers’ Network’s discount code “BRONET23” when purchasing tickets.
Following last season’s astounding collaboration with the Dover Quartet, “charismatic, full-voiced” (New York Times) bass-baritone Davóne Tines returns to the Perelman Theater stage for his PCMS recital debut. In Recital #1: MASS, Tines “queers” the mass in the broad sense that he bends it to his own understanding, “giving Black people and queer people and anyone who has felt excluded by religion or classical music or America their say” (Classical Voice).
Recital #1: MASS
Shaw: Kyrie
Bach: Wie jammern mich doch die verkehrten Herzen from Cantata, BWV 170
Shaw: Agnus Dei
Sorey: "Were You There?" from Songs for Death
Bonds: "To a Brown Girl Dead"
Sorey: "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" from Songs of Death
Shaw: Credo
Bach: Mache dich, mein Herze, rein from St. Matthew Passion
Shaw: Gloria
"Give Me Jesus" trad., arr. Hogan
Shaw: Sanctus
Eastman: Prelude to The Holy Presence of Joan d'Arc
Dieudonné/Tines: VIGIL
Please note that this recital will be performed without an intermission.
February 28, 2023 at 7:30pm
In the Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Culture Campus
300 S Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102
Davone Tines singing “Give Me Jesus” trad. arr. Hogan.
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents Dynasty Battles, piano
December 16th, 2022 at 7:30pm
American Philosophical Society Benjamin Franklin Hall 427 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106
Use The Brothers’ Network’s discount code “TBN22” when purchasing tickets.
Philadelphia native Dynasty Battles once performed George Walker’s Piano Sonata No. 1 in a private engagement at the composer’s home. In his PCMS recital debut, this visionary young pianist celebrates the centenary of the first Black composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, performing Walker’s groundbreaking sonata alongside improvisations and works by Beethoven.
Beethoven: Adagio from Sonata in D Minor, Op. 31
Beethoven: Sonata in A-flat Major, Op. 110
Improvisations, to be announced from the stage
Walker: Sonata No. 1
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents Randall Goosby, violin, and Zhu Wang, piano
December 14, 2022 at 7:30pm
In the Perelman Theatre in the Kimmel Cultural Campus
300 S Broad Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102
Use The Brothers’ Network’s discount code “TBN22” when purchasing tickets.
Praised for his “exquisite tone and sheer virtuosity” (New York Times), Randall Goosby “plays like an angel with nothing to prove” (Los Angeles Times). His PCMS recital debut with pianist Zhu Wang features Lili Boulanger’s challenging, delicately colored Deux Morceaux, Ravel’s highly original Violin Sonata No. 2, and William Grant Still’s Suite for Violin and Piano, a three-movement work written to depict sculptures by contemporary Black artists.
Boulanger: Deux Morceaux
Ravel: Violin Sonata No. 2
Still: Suite for Violin and Piano
Beethoven: Violin Sonata in A Major, Op. 47, Kreutzer
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents Eric Owens with Singers from the Curtis Opera Theatre
December 4, 2022 at 3pm
In the Perelman Theatre in the Kimmel Cultural Campus
A frequent star of the Metropolitan Opera, Eric Owens shares the stage with students from the Curtis Institute, where he serves as director of vocal studies and the Curtis Opera Theatre. A quartet from the Curtis Opera Theatre, including Owens, will perform gems from the lieder and song repertoire—anchored by Brahms’s lilting and pensive Neue Liebeslieder waltzes for four voices and four-hand piano, followed by operatic arias, ensemble pieces, and bittersweet Broadway numbers.
Sarah Fleiss, soprano; Lucy Baker, mezzo-soprano; Joseph Tancredi, tenor; Eric Owens, bass-baritone; Miloš Repický, piano; Ting Ting Wong, piano
Schubert: Der Tanz, D. 826
Schubert: Licht und Liebe, D. 352
Brahms: Liebe und Frühling I, Op.3, No.2
Brahms: Liebe und Frühling II, Op.3, No 3
Brahms: Meine Liebe ist grün, Op. 63, No. 5
Brahms: Von ewiger Liebe, Op. 43, No. 1
Brahms: Neue Liebeslieder, Op. 65
Schoenberg: Arie aus dem Spiegel von Arcadien
Britten: Tell Me the Truth About Love from Cabaret Songs
Rodgers & Hammerstein: If I Loved You from Carousel
Lerner & Loewe: If Ever I Would Leave You from Camelot
Bizet: Au fond du temple saint from Les pêcheurs de perles
Strauss: Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren from Der Rosenkavalier
Verdi:Un dì, se ben rammentomi... Bella figlia dell’amore from Rigoletto
Art Basel Miami Beach
December 1 - 3, 2022
In our American show, leading galleries from five continents show significant works by masters of Modern and contemporary art, as well as the new generation of emerging stars.
Meet Nick Cave an artist based in Chicago in this interview from Art Basel. In this episode of ‘Meet the artists’, Art Basel visits Nick Cave in his Chicago live-work and exhibition space. Named Facility, it serves as a cultural capsule, a place for the surrounding community to gather around art and respond to the world outside.
Although today he’s expanded his medium to work in bronze, Cave’s best-known pieces are his ‘Soundsuits’. These wearable artworks are assembled from thousands of small, commonplace objects, like buttons, twigs, and beads. When worn, they make sound – which reminded Cave of the role of protest and the power of being heard. However, the works also have another dimension: ‘I started to realize I was really hiding gender, race, class, forcing you to look at something without judgement,’ he says in the film. In the episode, Cave also considers his legacy and explores the meaning behind his latest bronze works.
Wolf Play
October 27 - November 20, 2022
A woman, longing for a child, finds a Korean boy looking for a new home on a Yahoo chat board. Her wife is a promising boxer on the verge of a pro-debut. The boy’s original adoptive father was all set to hand him over to a new home… until he realizes that the boy would have no “dad”. Caught in the middle, the child launches himself on a lone wolf’s journey of finding a pack that he can call his own.
What The New York Times called “thrilling…probing and playful”, Wolf Play by Hansol Jung is a messy, funny and disturbing theatrical experience about the families we choose and unchoose.
Featuring: Bruce Baldini, Keith Conallen, Makoto Hirano, Kira Player, Matteo Scammell
Support from The Charlotte Cushman Foundation
Theatre Philadelphia: A Celebration 2022
November 7th at 6:30pm
Join us in supporting our partner in this celebration of Philadelphia Theatre!
Our Theatre Community hasn’t come together for an in-person fall celebration since 2019, so it is time for the theatre prom we’ve all been waiting for! Join Theatre Philadelphia for a fun evening celebrating the artists, audiences, and organizations who make Philly the BEST theatre community around. Enjoy a showcase of the community’s talent, find out who will receive The Philadelphia Award for Social Insight, enjoy appetizers, have drinks and desserts, and dance the night away in a renovated and updated 1920’s “talkies” single-plex theater.
PRIVATE GALLERY TOUR WITH THE BROTHERS’ NETWORK:
NOW THROUGH NOVEMBER 5, 2022
Corridor Contemporary proud to present Deconstruct - a solo exhibition of works by Arinze Stanley.
“As I continue my quest on exploring contemporary matters affecting my society, I am also very compelled to exalt the resilient spirit of our youth in my new body of work.
I believe the youths are the building blocks of every nation. As a Nigerian youth, I feel most compelled to project the positive image of our youths through this body of work in my attempt to dismantle the stereotype around the Nigerian youth. I believe our leaders of tomorrow are the biggest assets of today.”
-Arinze Stanley
Centennial Barnes Art Ball
Friday, October 21, 2022, 6 pm
Our own Gregory T. Walker is part of the 2022 Barnes Art Ball Committee along with Cathy Hughes of Radio One, Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, curator and professor, and John Fernandes.
Here is the invitation purchase your tickets! Some of what you can expect:
Centennial Bubbly on Neubauer Plaza
Acrobatic pop-up performances courtesy of Almanac Dance Circus Theatre
Extraordinary works by the acclaimed artist Amedeo Modigliani in the must-see international exhibition Modigliani Up Close
Culinary creations and libations galore
Revival! archival audiovisual performance by filmmaker and artist Rashid Zakat
Futuristic sonic beats under the stars with the fabulous duo The Illustrious Blacks
Special centennial look at the legendary Barnes collection, home to one of the largest and most important assemblages of works by Modigliani in the world.
Brother of the Month: Terae Stefon
Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Terae Stefon looks to make his mark on an ever changing city. A Graduate of Franklin High School, he then attended Saint Martin’s University, majoring in English and Journalism. Terae found his way into radio by volunteering at local community radio stations HollowEarth and RainierAvenue Radio in Seattle and then at IHeart Media/Total Traffic, keeping the region moving as a traffic reporter and producer. He currently works as a DJ and Content Writer for Jazz24 Radio.
Outside of the professional realm, Terae’s ubiquitous interest range from sports, nature, capoeira, music production, and anything related to the history and progression of all Black people.
The Brothers’ Network and Theatre Exile on WKDU
Exclusive tickets available through The Brothers’ Network, see RSVP below!
See violinist Randall Goosby perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra! The work they are performing is by Black composer Florence Price, which the Orchestra won a Grammy for this past year.
Exclusive Pre-show Reception Kimmel Center Tier One Lounge at 7pm
The Philadelphia Orchestra Performance Kimmel Center Verizon Hall at 8pm.
UPCOMING EVENT IN SAN ANTONIO TEXAS:
San Antonio Black International Film Festival
October 6 - 9, 2022
This event is both online and in-person and complementary with the code “BLACKMATION!”
SABIFF 2022 will open your eyes, thoughts, and hopefully inspire action for novice, or suppressed talent be rejuvenated. If you naturally gravitate towards the skillset of writing, drawing, IT, computers, graphic arts, or gaming, this festival is for you. Our participants from across-the-globe, have opened doors traditionally shut, to career pathways for aspiring Black and Brown Creatives to enter into this magical animation world, where fiction & fact merge with fantasy. Incorporating diverse cultures, images and voices into the world of animation brings beauty, brainy, bold, and bad-ass-ness to the Art of moving images.
The Philadelphia Orchestra and Randall Goosby play Florence Price
V. Shayne Frederick performing at the Barnes Foundation First Friday!
Friday, September 2, 2022, 6 pm – 9 pm V. Shayne Frederick jazz vocalist, pianist, composer, and former TBN Global Advisory Board member will be performing at the Barnes Foundation’s First Friday! event, celebrating its 100th year along with, Once Again… (Statues Never Die) by Sir Isaac Julien.
His performances have spanned decades and electrified TEDx, NPR, and stages nationally. The Broad Street Review describes him as “one of the region’s busiest and best jazz singers.” Frederick is releasing his fifth project, King, this year, and will bring a program of global rhythms and scintillating lyrical interpretation to the Barnes.
The Motherf**ker with the Hat
February 3, 2022 — February 27, 2022
Directed by Ozzie Jones // Written By Stephen Adly Gurgis
Honorary Producers Linda & David Glickstein
Associate Producers Mark & Tobey Dichter and Gayle & David Smith
Featuring: J Hernandez, Amanda Schoonover, Scott Greer, Daniela Malavé, and Zach Valdez.
Just released from prison, Jackie (Hernandez) lives with his childhood sweetheart Veronica (Malavé) and is staying clean with the help from his too-smooth sponsor Ralph D (Greer). Things are looking up for Jackie until he spots another man’s hat in their apartment. The Motherf**ker with the Hat by Pulitzer Prize-winner Stephen Adly Guirgis is a fast-paced, brutally funny, foul-mouthed look at modern love, friendship, addiction, and the challenges of adulthood. The Tony Award-nominated show made its Broadway debut in 2011.
The Motherf**ker with the Hat is presented by Theatre Exile in partnership with The Brothers’ Network.
“The play’s unexpectedly complex take on addiction and recovery, as well as its poetically profane language and quirky, broken characters, will keep audiences riveted to Theatre Exile’s wildly entertaining Philadelphia premiere.” - Julia M. Klein, The Inquirer
Choir Boy
February 18, 2022 — March 13, 2022
Written by Academy Award-winning writer of Moonlight Tarell Alvin McCraney
Directed & Choreographed by Jeffrey L. Page
Composer and Music Director Crystal Monee Hall
Honor. Legacy. Pride. Taking his place out front as the choir leader at an elite all-boys, all-Black prep school, Pharus Young is determined to make his mark by challenging expectations in a world steeped in deep-rooted traditions. Can Pharus find harmony among his peers while staying true to his own voice? From Tarell Alvin McCraney, the Academy Award®-winning writer of electrified Broadway with its soaring gospel, spiritual, and R&B performances.
