Upcoming events.
D-Composed & Pauli The PSM: For the Plants
In collaboration with D-Composed, Pauli The PSM invites curious listeners to witness the first seed of what will become his next ambient project, For The Plants. Sink into a meditative listening experience of real-time musical collaboration between the D-Composed string ensemble and multi-hyphenate composer, producer and drummer, Pauli The PSM.
For The Plants explores the symbiotic relationship between music and plants, how sound nurtures living things, and how nature inspires sound. The project is a three-day process that serves as both a creative experiment and the inspiration source for Pauli The PSM's forthcoming album. This culminating performance will become a blend of improvisation and an exercise in variation, allowing ideas to evolve organically within a theme.
Guests are encouraged to bring yoga mats, blankets, pillows, or other items that bring them comfort to enjoy the listening experience.
Our Stage: An Ode to Black Theater - Steppenwolf Residency
The ensemble kicks off their residency with Steppenwolf Theater’s LookOut series with a musical ode to Chicago's Black Theater History told through monologues, poetry, and the music of Black composers featuring acclaimed Chicago theater legend, actor & director Cheryl Lynn Bruce.
This performance is located in the 1700 Theater.
Our Stage: An Ode to Black Hair - Steppenwolf Residency
As part of our residency with Steppenwolf Theater’s LookOut series, the ensemble continues to explore an in-progress piece about hair & identity in collaboration with interdisciplinary artist Shani Crowe.
This performance is taking place in the 1700 theater.
Our Stage: D-Composed Plays D-Composed - Steppenwolf Residency
To conclude the ensemble’s residency with Steppenwolf Theater’s LookOut series, the ensemble plays each other's compositions, celebrating music that speaks to the unique personalities and ways of expression of each ensemble member.
This performance will take place in the 1700 theater.
Harris Theater Presents: Kids Meet the Music: Program 1
Our newly reimagined family series features Chicago Black chamber music collective D-Composed String Ensemble for engaging explorations of the music of Black composers for kids and their families.
For each of their three performances this season, D-Composed will be joined by featured guest artists for accessible, welcoming musical experiences in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Lower Lobby. Designed for children aged 4–11, each performance will be 30–45 minutes, with a chance to meet the artists afterwards.
Guest artists to be announced at a later date
Harris Theater Presents: Kids Meet the Music Program 2
Our newly reimagined family series features Chicago Black chamber music collective D-Composed String Ensemble for engaging explorations of the music of Black composers for kids and their families.
For each of their three performances this season, D-Composed will be joined by featured guest artists for accessible, welcoming musical experiences in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Lower Lobby. Designed for children aged 4–11, each performance will be 30–45 minutes, with a chance to meet the artists afterwards.
Plus, tickets are just $5! Every child and adult who plan to attend must have a ticket, even those under age 4.
Harris Theater Presents: Kids Meet the Music Program 3
Performance Run Time: 30-45 minutes
Age recommendation: 4-11 years old
Our newly reimagined family series features Chicago Black chamber music collective D-Composed String Ensemble for engaging explorations of the music of Black composers for kids and their families.
For each of their three performances this season, D-Composed will be joined by featured guest artists for accessible, welcoming musical experiences in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Lower Lobby. Designed for children aged 4–11, each performance will be 30–45 minutes, with a chance to meet the artists afterwards.
Plus, tickets are just $5! Every child and adult who plan to attend must have a ticket, even those under age 4.
Listening Party: Angel Bat Dawid & D-Composed perform BLK Metropolis
D-Composed & composer and clarinetist, Angel Bat Dawid, in partnership with United States Artists, presents an exclusive preview of BLK Metropolis Apocalypse commissioned by D-Composed & for D-Composed.
She Who Dared: Chicago Opera Theater
Created by composer Jasmine Barnes and Librettist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, She Who Dared recenters the spotlight on the courageous women who helped desegregate the Montgomery bus system in the 1950s. These Civil Rights pioneers pay homage to the quiet struggle for justice that has often gone unknown, further amplifying the effects of the historic case of Browder v. Gayle. While often riotous and sometimes hilarious, these women demonstrate how everyday people have the power to challenge the systems around them and affect tangible change – if only they dare.
D-Composed ensemble members make up the chamber orchestra of the production.
She Who Dared: Chicago Opera Theater
Created by composer Jasmine Barnes and Librettist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, She Who Dared recenters the spotlight on the courageous women who helped desegregate the Montgomery bus system in the 1950s. These Civil Rights pioneers pay homage to the quiet struggle for justice that has often gone unknown, further amplifying the effects of the historic case of Browder v. Gayle. While often riotous and sometimes hilarious, these women demonstrate how everyday people have the power to challenge the systems around them and affect tangible change – if only they dare.
D-Composed ensemble members make up the chamber orchestra of the production.
She Who Dared: Chicago Opera Theater
Created by composer Jasmine Barnes and Librettist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, She Who Dared recenters the spotlight on the courageous women who helped desegregate the Montgomery bus system in the 1950s. These Civil Rights pioneers pay homage to the quiet struggle for justice that has often gone unknown, further amplifying the effects of the historic case of Browder v. Gayle. While often riotous and sometimes hilarious, these women demonstrate how everyday people have the power to challenge the systems around them and affect tangible change – if only they dare.
D-Composed ensemble members make up the chamber orchestra of the production.
the listening field with jamila woods
D-Composed and Jamila Woods come together to create a space for healing & reflection with a meditative experience in partnership with the Kehrein Center for the Arts Foundation (KCAF). Together, we will combine the music of Black composers, sound bowls, and original poetry to create the evening’s soundscape for rest, liberation, and healing as attendees explore the rich and complex relationship between Black people and the land.
D-Compressed: Activating the Archives of Black Hull House Theatre
Join the Black chamber music ensemble D-Composed as they create an evening of music and meditation celebrating the work of Black composers. This restorative musical experience will be accompanied by a reading room dedicated to narratives of Black theatre history at Hull-House, curated by theatre artist Ericka Ratcliff.
Echoes of Healing: D-Compressed with BSA Gold
This Women's History Month, join D-Composed, BSA Gold, and SJI (Social Justice Initiative) for "Echoes of Healing," a musical meditation in remembrance of Breonna Taylor on the fifth anniversary of her murder by Louisville police.
This special performance will take place in the setting of our current gallery exhibition, Echoes of Ferguson. Marking the 10th anniversary of the Ferguson uprising, the exhibition delves into the profound collective grief experienced by the Black community while exploring the ongoing impact of systemic injustice. “Echoes of Healing" offers a reflective space for contemplation and connection, through a poignant blend of music, visual art, and personal narrative.
If you would like more information, please register for the event by clicking the button below.
Live Recording with JoVia Armstrong
Join us for a live recording with percussionist, sound artist, and composer JoVia Armstrong. Tickets are $15 to attend
Click the button below to purchase your tickets and register for the event.
D-Compressed at Lyric Opera
Ahead of the opera Blue, join us for our music & meditation experience D-Compressed in the lobby of Lyric Opera.
D-Composed & Plínio Fernandes for TUCCA
More information to come. The concert will be held in the Classic Sãu Paulo room.
https://tucca.org.br/d-composed-e-plinio-fernandes/
Decision Day: Musical Story Time
On Election Day, join us for A Musical Story Time at Woodson Regional Library for a reading of Jacqueline Woodson’s “The Year We Learned to Fly” with an original score by Ahmed Al Abaca read by Mama Edie.
D-Composed On Screen: 60th Anniversary of The Chicago International Film Festival
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Chicago International Film Festival, the Black chamber music collective D-Composed is joining forces with the Festival to celebrate the works of Black film composers, such as Kathryn Bostic, Kris Bowers, Terence Blanchard, and others, with a live performance and post-show panel discussion.
This event is free and open to the public.
D-Composed & SHANI CROWE - Northwestern’s Black Arts Consortium
Join us for a look at an in-progress work in collaboration with SHANI CROWE.
SHANI CROWE is an interdisciplinary artist who received her BFA in film production from Howard University’s John H. Johnson School of Communications in 2011. Her work centers on cultural coiffure, adornment and beauty ritual, as they relate to the diasporic African, and how these practices function as tools to foster connectivity. She is most known for creating intricate corn-rowed hairstyles, then capturing them as large photographic portraits.
This presentation is taking place in Louis Hall.
This event is free & open to the public.
D-Composed Opens for Illharmonic at the Auditorium Theatre
D-Composed makes their Auditorium Theatre debut and joins hip-hop orchestra, Illharmonic.
Davóne Tines & The Truth Featuring D-Composed for ROBESON
D-Composed makes its Harris Theater debut in collaboration with acclaimed bass-baritone, Davóne Tines and his band THE TRUTH (bassist Khari Lucas and pianist John Bitoy) for a one-night-only Chicago Premiere of ROBESOИ.
D-Composed Family Edition & Music Moves' West Side Fireflies
Join us on Saturday, September 21, for a special collaboration between Old Town School’s West Side Fireflies & D-Composed Family Edition that will explore Black composers! The event is FREE and open to the public.
Fireflies is Old Town School’s early childhood music program that introduces toddlers and preschoolers to the world of sound and play using the Earth, Wind, and Fire songbook.
Family Edition is D-Composed’s family-oriented experience, designed with youth in mind, and serves as an introduction to the music of Black composers.
This program is included in all reservations to visit the Conservatory, book your reservation ahead of time here: here (link opens in a new tab)
ACCESSIBILITY AT THE CONSERVATORY:
The Garfield Park Conservatory is committed to providing a quality experience for all visitors. If you would like to request accommodation for an upcoming visit, please get in touch with us at least 24 hours in advance by emailing visitors@garfieldpark.org or calling 773-638-1766. Learn more about accessibility at the Conservatory.
3rd Annual Words of Wonder Literary Festival
Join us at the 3rd Annual Words of Wonder Literary Festival for a special performance featuring D-Composed. We’ll be joined by a special guest, poet Harold Green III.
The D-Composed performance begins at 1:15 PM
D-Composed and The Nap Ministry Presents: Freedom Lullabies
On Juneteenth, join D-Composed, a Black chamber music collective, and Tricia Hersey, Founder of The Nap Ministry for Freedom Lullabies. This rest experience celebrates the power of our Ancestor’s freedom and uplifts Black composers' works with revolutionary text readings.
Doors Open: 12:30
Performance Begins: 1:00 PM
The approximate run-time of the performance is 45-minutes
D-Compressed with Cherish Hicks of Beyond
Join us at Gary Comer Youth Center for our music & meditation experience, D-Compressed.
Chicago Humanities Festival Presents D-Composed
Join us at The Chicago History Museum for a performance of the works of contemporary Black composers featuring compositions from Carlos Simon, Tomeka Reid, Jessie Montgomery, Ahmed Al Abaca, and Daniel Bernard Roumain.
This program is generously underwritten by the Paul M. Angell Foundation Family Foundation.
D-Composed at Gateways Festival
Our acclaimed program, D-Composition x Love Is… returns for a special presentation at Gateways Music Festival.
D-Composition pairs the music of Black composers with poetry by Black authors. All works seek to examine and understand the many definitions of love.
Featured poets & storytellers include Diamond Sharp, Shanta Nurullah, Krista Franklin, avery r. young, Davon Clark, and Raych Jackson with compositions by Carlos Simon, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Ahmed Al Abaca, Sharon Udoh, and Jessie Montgomery.
Kaufman Music Center Presents: Pamela Z & D-Composed
Composer and media artist Pamela Z and D-Composed, the Chicago-based chamber music collective that honors Black creativity and culture, perform music by Pamela Z and the Grammy-nominated composer, flutist, and vocalist Nathalie Joachim. Featuring the world premiere of a new version of Joachim’s “In Between”, written for D-Composed and Pamela Z.
CSO MusicNow: D-Composed Pre-Show Concert
Join us in the Grainger Ballroom before Jessie Montgomery’s CSO MusicNOW performance with Curtis Stewart.