Ear Taxi Festival: First Blacks Chicago

Crossing Borders Music is delighted to be part of the Mainstage Series of the New Music Chicago Ear Taxi Festival.
Developed over three years with the Haitian American Museum of Chicago and DuSable Heritage Association, this Crossing Borders Music program honors four Black Chicago trailblazers! The program shares music by four Haitian composers including “La Cité” by Sabrina C D Jean Louis, commissioned by Crossing Borders Music and the DuSable Heritage Association and written in honor in honor of Chicago’s first non-native resident, Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable; “Fraternitas! Fraternitas! Dei Patris Nomine” by Gifrants, commissioned by Crossing Borders Music in honor of Chicago’s first African-American mayor Harold Washington; “Brother Malcolm” by Jean “Rudy” Perrault which imagines through music a conversation between Martin Luther King and Malcolm X upon the inauguration of Barack Obama; and the world premiere of a new work commissioned by Crossing Borders Music of Jean Paul Coffy, former lead artist of the legendary Haitian band Boukman Eksperyans, in honor of Lori Lightfoot as Chicago’s first African-American woman mayor!
The program looks at each figure through a historical lens rather than a political one.
Free and open to the public, but advanced registration is required: https://www.eartaxifestival.com/tickets
This event will also be livestreamed at https://youtu.be/Gh5iAIyqNVU.
This program is partially supported by the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
This program is partially supported by the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
Pictured: Jean Paul Coffy in a red shirt before a white background