Welcome to my life

            

I was first introduced to the power of music as a 3-year old sitting in church with my parents. I remember keenly watching the pianist play the hymns each week before going home to try and figure out what I had just heard. Since then, I've never lost the urge to discover all that I can about music and how it works. 

 

However, as I've grown older, I've also given more thought to the ways that music functions as part of our larger society. This stems in many ways from the time I spent in college studying broadcast journalism (my second major) and working as a field reporter for the local news station. Those experiences opened my eyes to the shocking lack of awareness that many people have surrounding not only world issues, but issues facing their local communities.
 
I attribute this mainly to a failure of all parties to clearly communicate with each other. Music can bridge these gaps and provide all of us with a digestible way to plug into the world outside of our doors. It is for this reason that I devote a significant portion of my programming to music that speaks towards current social issues, rather than limit myself solely to the wonderful, though sometimes overplayed traditional repertoire. It may be an unreachable aspiration, but I aim to be a conduit for positive social change with every program that I learn.

Previous events

Kyle P. Walker at SXSW in Austin

Esther's Follies, 525 E. 6th St., Austin, TX

Kyle P. Walker, a critically-acclaimed pianist with a passion for using music to address social issues, is on a mission to bridge traditional Western repertoire with the work of neglected composers from around the world. From his performances on The Green Space at WNYC and NPR's 1A to recitals at Carnegie Hall and The Apollo Theater, Walker's heartfelt tone and dedication to activism have made him a standout in the classical music world. As a member of the award-winning DARA + KYLE duo and The Harlem Chamber Players, as well as a founding member of The Dream Unfinished, Kyle uses his platform to bring attention to underrepresented composers and advocate for social justice. In addition to his touring and performing, Kyle is also a professor at NYU Steinhardt, where he shares his passion for music, activism, diversity, and inclusivity with the next generation of musicians. With over a decade of experience as a performer and educator, Kyle is committed to building a more diverse and inclusive classical music community.

“Every Voice with Terrance McKnight”

a podcast spotlighting the vibrant stories and perspectives that reflect the whole of the American musical experience

Ach ich fühl es ist verschwunden from Die Zauberflöte Alles fühlt der Liebe Freuden from Die Zauberflöte Heavenly Father from 3kings and a PRINCE (Sharon J. Willis) On the Wings of a Dove from The Herndon Opera (Sharon J. Willis)

“Every Voice with Terrance McKnight”

a podcast spotlighting the vibrant stories and perspectives that reflect the whole of the American musical experience

Ach ich fühl es ist verschwunden from Die Zauberflöte Alles fühlt der Liebe Freuden from Die Zauberflöte Heavenly Father from 3kings and a PRINCE (Sharon J. Willis) On the Wings of a Dove from The Herndon Opera (Sharon J. Willis)

Though separated by 130 years and an impossible gulf of personal experience, the composer Ludwig van Beethoven and the writer Langston Hughes share an unlikely bond of artistic sensibilities. Inspiration across mediums creatively energized both: Hughes was a musical historian and produced rhythmically inspired verse, while Beethoven's love of poetry gave rise to numerous immortal compositions, not least “Ode to Joy”. On the date of Hughes's birthday, Terrance McKnight, the project creator and WQXR host, further illuminates these geniuses' synergy with a selection of Beethoven's piano works, and other composers such as David Baker and George Gershwin, that he's set to poems by Hughes. This co-presentation with the New York Philharmonic will feature select members of the Phil and guest artists, piano soloist Kyle P. Walker and the rich operatic tenor voice of Chauncey Packer.

Choose What You Pay

Fantasie Negre No. 1 Florence Price, composer Kyle Walker, piano

Beethoven’s Blues Langston Hughes “Weary Blues” Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 30 Terrance McKnight, Kyle P. Walker

Langston Hughes “Life is Fine” Beethoven Bagatelle Op. 126, No. 1 McKnight, Walker

Principal Brothers No. 3 James Lee III, composer David Norville stage need: music stand

Big Timer’s Blues Hughes “The Weary Blues” Lord How Come Me Here (traditional spiritual, arr. Evelyn Curenton-Simpson; adapt. Ashley Jackson & Terrance McKnight) Terrance McKnight, Chauncey Packer, David Norville, Kyle P. Walker

Medley George Gershwin, composer Packer, Walker

You’ve taken my blues Hughes “Notes on Commercial Theater” Gershwin Prelude Melody No. 17 (arr. T. McKnight) McKnight, Walker

The Magic Flute Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer Packer, Walker

Three-Fours, Op. 71 No. 2 Samuel Coleridge Taylor, composer Walker

Hughes “Me and My Song” Beethoven God Save the King Variations (arr. T. McKnight) McKnight, Walker

Kyle P. Walker

Voter Registration Party/Concert in Union Square, 201 Park Ave South, New York NY

Pianist Kyle Walker and soprano Cassandra Douglas from The Dream Unfinished will perform:

Florence Price: Monologue for the Working Class Undine Smith Moore: Love Let The Wind Cry Rosephane Powell: Songs for the People William Grant Still: Give Me Nobody But Your Soul Margaret Bonds: Trouble Water Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Three Fours (Op. 73)

Our musicians (pianist Kyle P. Walker, violinists Beatrice Hsieh and Jay Julio, violist Kayla Williams, and cellist Mosa Tsay) will be presenting Florence Price's masterwork Piano Quintet in A Minor, paired with a community play-in of "our streets", by composer-multi-instrumentalist Yaz Lancaster, whose "stunner of a quartet" (Washington Post) in Neutral Objects was premiered in long form by Sound Off last year.

Florence Price: Quintet in A Minor

Yaz Lancaster: our streets

$5 to reserve, $10+ at event

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