A Wilmington-based vocal arts ensemble and educational group is highlighting the contributions of Black vocal and choral music in a four-day conference this week.
The conference, Bent but not Broken, is in its third year and presented by Elevate Vocal Arts.
Elevate’s CEO and Artistic Director, Arreon Harley-Emerson, says the conference highlights the important and diverse contributions that Black vocal music has made to American culture.
“Whether it's country, whether it's pop, whether it's black, whether it's metal, all of these things have significant black influences in it. And so that's something that a lot of people don't realize, but it's really critically important," he said.
The conference features performances by world-renowned artists and ensembles, workshops, and a choral conducting masterclass. Harley-Emerson says the musical offerings will be diverse and varied.
"We've got everything from classical music all the way to jazz, hip hop, R&B, so everything is really represented over the course of the week," he said.
Harley-Emerson says the original idea - one the event still holds to - is to inspire and educate the students at Elevate.
“The impetus was really just to create more representation for my students," he said. "And then it began to grow organically and just there's so many people who want to see themselves represented and people who want to learn about music of the Black and African diaspora.”
Bent but not Broken opens Wednesday in Wilmington and runs through this Saturday.
Delaware Public Media's arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
