Join us ! BLEMF 2025 offers a weeklong series of concerts & discussions, educational workshops for kids & adults, our 2nd annual BLEMF Community Showcase & New Neighbors Children’s Art Exhibit, and more. Both live & online. Explore our program & mark your calendars!
Schedule:
2:00pm - Workshop
What’s That Sound? African Drums!
Dive into the African Instrument Collection & Beat your own Drum!
Explore amazing, authentic traditional African instruments at the newly renovated IUMAA, and learn the basics of African drumming with a renowned and ridiculously fun musician and music educator. A show & tell with expert museum staff will zoom in on the extraordinary collection of African drums housed in the instrument archives, revealing where they are from, how they are made, and how they figure into centuries-old ritual and culture. Then move into the workshop space where you will find drums and other percussion instruments for the hands-on portion of the afternoon. Learn about African rhythms, beats and basic techniques, feel the power of traditional drumming from your head to your toes, and make your own glorious noise!
Led by the IUMAA & Dan Kusaya
Workshop runs 2:00pm-4:00pm
IU Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology
416 N. Indiana Avenue
Register Here For What’s That Sound?
4:30pm - Happy Hour (21+)
5:00pm - Performance Presentation
Tavern Hopping with The Chevalier
Our popular Tavern Hopping through Time happy hour joins up with The Chevalier, a provocative theater work that has toured the world since its debut at Tanglewood in 2019. Following an intriguing demonstration of old and tasty beverages, tavern-goers will move, drinks-in-hand, to our exclusive presentation on the Waldron’s big screen. Those who chose not to imbibe can join in at 5pm when the show starts. The New York Times calls The Chevalier “nuanced, witty, and incisive” and The Guardian raved, “quite simply exquisite” – what will you say?
21+ only - Tickets $15* ahead or at the door
Tavern Hopping led by Devon Nelson
The Harlem Chamber Players & Concert Theatre Works
The Chevalier: The Life & Music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
(New York, NY) Master composer, virtuoso violinist, finest fencer in Europe, general of Europe’s first Black regiment, and crusader for equality, Joseph Bologne (1745-1799) was an extraordinary artist of color nearly forgotten by history. His story, now central to any consideration of Black musicians in late 18th century Europe—or indeed, of classical music history as a whole—is richly told in The Chevalier. Follow Joseph Bologne’s true friendships with Mozart and Marie Antoinette and his unknown contribution to the abolishment of slavery in this dramatic staging filled with music and lavish period costumes. A collaboration between Concert Theatre Works and the Harlem Chamber Players, this performance of The Chevalier was filmed at the United Palace Theater, the recently restored gem in Washington Heights, NYC.
John Waldron Arts Center
122 S. Walnut Street
This event is scheduled to allow time to spare before the evening concert at First Christian Church (a 5-minute walk away), so you can easily attend both!
Ticket price is to cover the cost of alcohol
Register and Get Tickets Here For Happy Hour
7:00pm - Live Concert
6:15 - Pre-Concert Discussion
Early Music Access Project
Rock & Reel: Monticello’s Folk Traditions
(Charlottesville, VA) What sounds might a visitor to early 19th-century Monticello have heard? Music was often in the air–Thomas Jefferson was a violinist, and nearly every member of his family also played an instrument, including his three enslaved sons with Sally Hemings, all of whom played fiddle. On Charlottesville’s Main Street, the Scott family, related by marriage to the Hemings clan, boasted three generations of fiddlers who played for every sitting president for decades. Making their BLEMF debut, Charlotte-based Early Music Access Project will explore the unique repertoire of these accomplished Black fiddlers, which ranged from raucous reels to stately minuets. A collaboration among some of today’s most celebrated and early-career early musicians, EMAP is dedicated to accessible and enlightening programming and community connection.
Pre-concert Discussion with EMAP artistic director David McCormick
First Christian Church
205 E. Kirkwood Avenue
(corner of Kirkwood & Washington)
