Women’s Jazz Festival: Bernice Johnson Reagon Compositions

Event Details
 

Bernice Johnson Reagon Compositions
The Bernice Reagon Johnson Songbook

Bernice Johnson Reagon, scholar, singer/songleader, composer, activist for over half a century has been a profound contributor to African American and American culture. Born is Southwest Georgia, her singing style and traditional repertoire is grounded in her experiences in church, school, and political activism.  As a composer, she has created a narrative of her social and political  activism through her songs and larger compositions.  She performed as a member of the SNCC Freedom Singers during the sixties, she founded an all women a capella ensemble, The Harambee Singers during the Black Cultural Movement, She founded and led the internationally acclaimed Sweet Honey In The Rock for thirty years until retirement. Paralleling her work in music, Reagon is one of the leading authorities in African American Cultural History.  She is a recipient of the Heinz Award for arts and Humanities, a MacArthur Fellowship, and the Presidential Medal and Charles E Frankel Prize for Contributions to the Public Understanding of Humanities. 
 
This concert will feature perfromances by Reagon, Toshi Reagon, Helga Davis, Randy Jeter, Karma Mayet Johnson, Marcelle Davies Lashley, Josette Newsam Marchak and Jason C. Walker! 
 

The Schomburg Center's Women in Jazz Festival 2016 is curated by Toshi Reagon, singer, composer, producer and activist. 

@SchomburgLive | #WJF2016

 

 

PRESS
Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Adenike Olanrewaju at adenikeolanrewaju@nypl.org.

Please note that professional photography and video recordings are prohibited without expressed consent.