All event times are in Eastern Standard Time unless otherwise indicated.
2nd Annual Convening: Dreaming in Black
The International Society for Black Musicians is pleased to announce its 2nd Annual Convening, to be hosted virtually on November 19th, 2022. The theme, “Dreaming in Black” was chosen to inspire and celebrate proposals centering Black dreams, Black vision, Black imagination, Black expansion, and more from the minds of Black people. We welcome members to submit their proposals before our deadline on October 1st by 11:59pm PT.
ISBM is looking to accept the following proposal formats:
Lectures
Lecture Recitals
Recitals
Panels
Masterclasses
Demonstrations
Express Talks (answering an overarching question)
Fishbowl
PechaKucha
Soapboxes
Poster/Paper Presentations
Storytelling
And more! The possibilities are endless!
Q & A with 99TheProducer (Members Only)
Sit in on a live conversation with ISBM co-founder Katie Brown and artist/producer/composer 99TheProducer as they chat about the music industry, autonomy, and navigating multiple genres of music as a Black creative. Wednesday, February 23rd, 8PM ET. Members can access pay-what-you-can tickets here!
Listening Party (open to the public)
Join us Friday, February 11th at 8PM ET for an ISBM Listening Party! Whether you have been working on some new music and are interested in getting feedback, finished up a project and would like some extra ears on it, or are just really proud of something you created, we want to know what you're up to. Members are welcome to fill out the form HERE to sign-up for a slot to share.
Temples for Tomorrow: 1st Annual Convening
The International Society for Black Musicians is pleased to announce its 1st Annual Convening, to be hosted virtually on November 20, 2021. The theme, "Temples for Tomorrow," centers the poet Langston Hughes' admonishment for young Black artists to create without fear or shame in his 1926 essay “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”:
“We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, it doesn’t matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too. The tom-tom cries and the tom-tom laughs. If colored people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn’t matter either. We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves.”
Read the full essay here.
If you are a member of ISBM, you may register to attend the conference here.
Access the conference program booklet here.
Films and Fellowship: The US vs. Billie Holiday (Members Only)
Introducing our new rotating series “Films and Fellowship” where we engage in discussion based off of a Black musical film. Our first film of this series will be The US vs. Billie Holiday and will take place Saturday, April 24th at 3PM EST. We welcome all members to this event, regardless of whether you’ve seen the film or not!
Game/Trivia Night (Members Only)
Join us for a night of games, trivia, fun, and trife on Friday, April 9th at 7PM EST! This is a night you do not want to miss. For Zoom details, check our members only section!
Boozy Brunch (Members Only)
On Saturday, March 20th at 1PM EST, we will be hosting a boozy brunch. Mark your calendars for this afternoon of fellowship that you do not want to miss! This event is for ISBM members only. Members, check your email or our Members Only page for the link.
“Some Aspects of Neo-soul/R&B Harmony and Its Use in the Modern Theory Classroom” with Richard Desinord
Join ISBM board member, PhD candidate, and Howard University professor Richard Desinord for a lecture on his research in Neo-Soul on Saturday, March 13th at 12PM EST! This event is open to the public. HERE is the zoom information.
About Richard Desinord
Richard Desinord is a music theory professor with research interests in contemporary gospel and Neo-soul, though he enjoys all aspects of music theory from all genres. Having taught collegiate music theory for the past 6 years, Richard is available for private virtual lessons in music theory. Currently he is a lecturer of music theory at Howard University and a PhD candidate at the Eastman School of Music. Hailing from Washington, D.C., he earned a BM in music education from Howard University and an MA in music theory from Penn State University. One of his personal and professional goals is to make music theory more accessible to and inclusive of people of color. Richard is also a contributor to the upcoming Cambridge Stravinsky Encyclopedia.
Conference Planning Committee Meeting
The planning committee for the 2021 Conference has been selected and we will be having our first meeting! Committee members, check your emails for Zoom information.
Variety Show (Public Event)
Join us for an exciting night filled with the various talents of the membership of ISBM. We will hear performances across all genres, making it an evening you won't forget! Please come out and support the members of ISBM while we celebrate their art and Blackness. This event will be streamed on our YouTube Channel on Saturday, February 20th at 8PM EST.
Black Content Creators "On the Ground" (Public Event)
Join Garrett McQueen (TRILLOQUY podcast), Quanice Floyd (Arts Administrators of Color Network), Dalanie Harris, and Katie Brown (Classically Black Podcast) for a live happy hour and talk-back for Black content creators and musicians looking to collaborate and support the many independent Black content creators working in the arts. If you'd like to be a part of this very special event, HERE is the Zoom link.
About Garrett McQueen
Garrett McQueen is a bassoonist, radio producer, podcaster, and content creator working to decolonize "classical" music by shining a light on the stories, perspectives, and compositions that are changing the current status quo connected to the arts. As a media personality, Garrett is dedicated to the diversification of classical music and the advancement of Black musicians in the field. He's made presentations on diversity panels hosted by the Gateways Music Festival, the Sphinx Organization and the Kennedy Center's Shift Festival, and continues in this work both in and outside of the concert hall. Much of his work has been published by organizations with parallel agendas, including his series on "The Relationship Between Race and Classical Music" by Arts in a Changing America. In an article produced by Current, McQueen was hailed as "a Black talent in public media that you may not know, but should".
About Quanice Floyd
Quanice G. Floyd is a renaissance woman who wears many capes. Born and raised in NYC, she has spent over a decade in Washington, DC where she has received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Educationfrom Howard University and Kent State University respectively. Her passion for arts administration led her to pursue her second Master’s degree in Arts Management at American University and is currently a doctoral student at Drexel University. Quanice is also the Founder & Director of the Arts Administrators of Color Network, an organization committed to empowering artists and arts administrators by advocating for access, diversity, inclusion, and equity in the arts in the DC and Baltimore metropolitan areas. For the past decade, she has been a public-school music educator where she taught elementary school general music, chorus, band, and orchestra. Quanice also serves as a board member for two DC arts organizations, and is an alumna of ArtEquity’s Racial Facilitator Cohort, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Music Educators and Arts Administrators Academy, 4.0 Schools’ Essentials Program, and the Arts Education Collaborative’s Leadership Academy. In 2018, Quanice was honored with the American Express Emerging Leader Award by Americans for the Arts.
About Classically Black Podcast
Classically Black Podcast shows listeners the world of classical music through the eyes of Dalanie and Katie: two Black classical musicians on the rise looking to share their perspective with a new and interesting twist. Classically Black Podcast centers Black voices and challenges ideas of what the field of classical music looks like. Additionally, by including humor and references to popular culture, the hosts aim to make classical music more approachable to listeners who are not classically trained. At its core, Classically Black Podcast was created with the purpose of showing Black musicians that even in an industry that so clearly lacks diversity, they are visible and their voices matter.
Conference Planning Committee Info Meeting (Members Only)
We are still looking for members who are interested in applying to be on the planning committee for the 2021 conference. Whether you have conference planning experience or not, we would love to have you! This event will serve as an informational meeting on what sitting on the committee will entail. The deadline for applying for the committee is Monday February 8th at 11:59PM CST. The application is located on the members-only side of the website. The Zoom information will be emailed to all ISBM members.
Happy Hour with Conductor Kedrick Armstrong (Members only)
Our friend, board member, and conductor Kedrick Armstrong will be co-hosting a happy hour with us as our first event of 2021! Kedrick will be curating a special ISBM cocktail and will lead us through its creation. There will also be chances to mingle, games, and much more!
Details about this event:
This event is taking place Wednesday, January 20th at 8PM EST
Kedrick will be leading us in making the ISBM cocktail in the first quarter of the night. If you would like to participate in this portion, please be on time!
While it is not mandatory, we would love for you to make the cocktail with us. Take a look at the ingredient list above!
This is a members-only event! All members should have received the Zoom link and password in their email. If not, please contact us at isbmoffice@gmail.com