Farm2Art: African Diaspora Classical Music Series at Clemmons Farm
Afrocentric Voices in Classical Music: A Journey through Time, Land, & Culture
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Above: Enjoy two 60-second glimpses of a magical rehearsal and rehearsal curated by Clemmons Family Farm.
Three stellar African-American musicians take us on a journey through hundreds of years of classical music by Black composers from three continents: Europe, North America, and Africa. Their performances share a fresh and inclusive take on “Classical Music” that will fascinate a diverse audience and especially resonate with Black Vermonters who might otherwise not find their cultural identities reflected in most classical music concerts performed in the state.
Soprano Brenda Marie Turner and pianist Kyle Walker perform their beautiful selection of arias and art songs that showcase the "hidden" genius of Black composers such as Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Irene Britton Smith, and Florence Price- composers whose works have been largely ignored in classical music performances in Vermont and the US until very recently, and yet who shaped the sound of both European and American classical music. They pair these works with classical West African harp (kora) music and songs of the Malinke peoples, performed by John Hughes. Throughout the performance, we will explore the differences in conception, melodies, and texts of Black composers across continents, cultures, and time.
The two concerts- one in June 2024 and one in September 2025- are performed on the historic Clemmons Farm, owned for sixty-one years by African-American couple Jackson and Lydia Clemmons (both born in 1923). Located in the town of Charlotte in the Champlain Valley, the Clemmons farm was purchased by Vermont’s major Black-led arts and culture nonprofit organization- Clemmons Family Farm, Inc.- in 2023. It is an official site on Vermont's African American Heritage Trail.
First Concert Date: June 2, 2024
Second Concert Date: September 21, 2025
Featuring: Brenda Marie Turner (soprano), Kyle Walker (piano), and John Hughes (kora)
Concert concept and production: Lydia Clemmons, Clemmons Family Farm, Inc.
Videography and post-production: Ned Castle
Set and sound system: Kenroy Walker
Funded in part through a classical music concert grant from Vermont Community Foundation, this series is free to our beloved community.
Three stellar African-American musicians take us on a journey through hundreds of years of classical music by Black composers from three continents: Europe, North America, and Africa. Their performances share a fresh and inclusive take on “Classical Music” that will fascinate a diverse audience and especially resonate with Black Vermonters who might otherwise not find their cultural identities reflected in most classical music concerts performed in the state.
Soprano Brenda Marie Turner and pianist Kyle Walker perform their beautiful selection of arias and art songs that showcase the "hidden" genius of Black composers such as Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Irene Britton Smith, and Florence Price- composers whose works have been largely ignored in classical music performances in Vermont and the US until very recently, and yet who shaped the sound of both European and American classical music. They pair these works with classical West African harp (kora) music and songs of the Malinke peoples, performed by John Hughes. Throughout the performance, we will explore the differences in conception, melodies, and texts of Black composers across continents, cultures, and time.
The two concerts- one in June 2024 and one in September 2025- are performed on the historic Clemmons Farm, owned for sixty-one years by African-American couple Jackson and Lydia Clemmons (both born in 1923). Located in the town of Charlotte in the Champlain Valley, the Clemmons farm was purchased by Vermont’s major Black-led arts and culture nonprofit organization- Clemmons Family Farm, Inc.- in 2023. It is an official site on Vermont's African American Heritage Trail.
First Concert Date: June 2, 2024
Second Concert Date: September 21, 2025
Featuring: Brenda Marie Turner (soprano), Kyle Walker (piano), and John Hughes (kora)
Concert concept and production: Lydia Clemmons, Clemmons Family Farm, Inc.
Videography and post-production: Ned Castle
Set and sound system: Kenroy Walker
Funded in part through a classical music concert grant from Vermont Community Foundation, this series is free to our beloved community.
Castle of Our Skins: At Home
Boston-based Castle of Our Skins is an internationally-acclaimed Black arts institution dedicated to fostering cultural curiosity and celebrating Black artistry through music. In classrooms, concert halls, and beyond, Castle of Our Skins invites Black heritage and culture exploration, spotlighting both unsung and celebrated figures of past and present.
This video shares a 60-second snippet of their rehearsal of "At Home", a curated selection of chamber music by Black composers, for string quartet. "At Home" honors the past, place, people, and present tense of the historic Clemmons Farm in Charlotte, Vermont. Paying homage to the Farm’s beginnings as one of the rare African-American owned farms in the US during the civil rights era, the people and land that have shaped it, and the commitment to preserve its legacy well into the future, Castle of Our Skins performed a variety of string quartets by Black composers past and present.
This stunning chamber music concert with four string instruments was performed on June 27, 2024 inside of the beautiful Barn House overlooking 122 conserved acres of organic agricultural meadows and forestland, and views of the Adirondack mountains on the historic Clemmons Farm, owned for sixty-one years by African-American couple Jackson and Lydia Clemmons (both born in 1923). The Clemmons farm was purchased by Vermont’s major Black-led arts and culture nonprofit organization- Clemmons Family Farm, Inc.- in 2023. It is an official site on the Vermont African American Heritage Trail.
The free program was made possible through a joyful partnership between Clemmons Family Farm, Castle of Our Skins, and Otter Creek Music Festival, and funded in part through a grant from Vermont Humanities Council.
This video shares a 60-second snippet of their rehearsal of "At Home", a curated selection of chamber music by Black composers, for string quartet. "At Home" honors the past, place, people, and present tense of the historic Clemmons Farm in Charlotte, Vermont. Paying homage to the Farm’s beginnings as one of the rare African-American owned farms in the US during the civil rights era, the people and land that have shaped it, and the commitment to preserve its legacy well into the future, Castle of Our Skins performed a variety of string quartets by Black composers past and present.
This stunning chamber music concert with four string instruments was performed on June 27, 2024 inside of the beautiful Barn House overlooking 122 conserved acres of organic agricultural meadows and forestland, and views of the Adirondack mountains on the historic Clemmons Farm, owned for sixty-one years by African-American couple Jackson and Lydia Clemmons (both born in 1923). The Clemmons farm was purchased by Vermont’s major Black-led arts and culture nonprofit organization- Clemmons Family Farm, Inc.- in 2023. It is an official site on the Vermont African American Heritage Trail.
The free program was made possible through a joyful partnership between Clemmons Family Farm, Castle of Our Skins, and Otter Creek Music Festival, and funded in part through a grant from Vermont Humanities Council.
