Jazz Poetry Month: Mihály Borbély Quartet ft. Poet Tibor Zalán
(run time 75 min) We welcome Hungarian Mihály Borbély Quartet in their first Pittsburgh performance. Mihály is known for the versatility of his musical style, ranging from folk and world music to jazz and contemporary music. The Quartet has twice won “Best Hungarian Jazz Album of the year,” in 2014 and 2016. Well known for their rich, […]
Of Lungs and Leaves, Mita Ghosal & Sue Abramson presented by KST Global Stream
Streamed on City of Asylum’s Virtual Channel. (run-time 90 minutes) For four decades, fine art photographer Sue Abramson has produced work in a variety of methods that connects with the environmental landscape. Mita Ghosal’s cross-disciplinary choreographic work employs movement and spoken language to tell literal and figurative stories. The artists were originally scheduled to present a work in progress showing […]
Jazz Poetry Month: Yoko Suzuki Quartet "The Music of Geri Allen"
Streamed on City of Asylum’s Virtual Channel. (run-time 75 minutes) Geri Allen is remembered as one of the most important musicians of our time because of the intricacy of her jazz compositions. During her 35 year career, Geri composed over 100 songs, many of them so highly complex in melody, harmony, and rhythm that musicians do not typically […]
Jazz Poetry Month: Kaja Draksler ft. Dancer/Vocalist Irena Tomazin
Streamed on City of Asylum’s Virtual Channel. (run-time 75 minutes) Slovenian pianist and composer Kaja Draksler is a superb improviser, and is constantly thinking about innovation and the future of music—explorations that feel more salient than ever. Kaja is known for combining composition and improvisation, drawing from a variety of styles, places, and historical periods. In this performance, Kaja […]
Jazz Poetry Month: "Tallahatchie Lullaby, Baby" ft. Poet Doug Kearney
Streamed on City of Asylum’s Virtual Channel. (run-time 75 minutes) A riveting, vital poem—a lullaby to Emmett Till with four national jazz greats creating new pieces in response. Read by author Douglas Kearney, compositions and performances by Pheeroan akLaff, Dee Alexander, Orrin Evans, and Nicole Mitchell. Co-curated by MacArthur Fellow Terrance Hayes. This concert features multiple interpretations and multiple hearings of one piece, created […]
“Crossing the Line” to Celebrate Free Expression presented by Ithaca City of Asylum
Streamed on City of Asylum’s Virtual Channel. (run-time 90 minutes) City of Asylum Pittsburgh and Ithaca City of Asylum (ICOA) in Ithaca, NY, present “Crossing the Line,” a virtual (and highly visual) conversation about cartooning, humor, free expression, and personal risk. Guests are ICOA artist-in-residence Pedro X. Molina of Nicaragua and nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist Rob Rogers of Pittsburgh. Both Pedro and Rob have […]
Ross Gay book launch: Be Holding
(run -time 75 min) Tune in for the Pittsburgh launch reading, discussion, and audience q+a of BE HOLDING with Ross Gay in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh Press. Be Holding, the latest from award-winning poet Ross Gay, is a love song to legendary basketball player Julius Erving—known as Dr. J—who dominated courts in the 1970s and ‘80s as […]
Freedom to Create Virtual Gala and Keynote
Help us celebrate the Freedom to Create at our annual fundraising Gala and Keynote event! We are honored to feature renowned authors and founders of the Cities of Asylum movement Salman Rushdie and Russell Banks as this years keynote speakers.
Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook Presented by City of Asylum and the ACLU-PA
Streamed on City of Asylum’s Virtual Channel. (run-time 75 ming + Live discussion and Q+A with ACLU-PA Elections Protection Coordinator Donnell Drinks) Screening of Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook What would happen if political operatives tried to subvert the sacred American principle of “one person, one vote?” What if they hatched and pursued that plan for years before […]
Bassel & the Supernaturals join us live from Chicago celebrating the release of their new length album Smoke & Mirrors! This program will include live dispatches from the band and an audience Q&A. Bassel & The Supernaturals tells the story of Bassel Almadani’s experience as a first generation Syrian-American using soulful melodies, funk inspired grooves, and […]