#020: BLACK HISTORY MONTH– The Chaconne Emancipated with Michael Jamanis and Dr. Amanda Kemp
I recorded this introduction on Frederick Douglass’s birthday which happens to be Valentine’s Day. Please check out Frederick Douglass Suite; Black History Month 2023
In this episode, you get to hear Part One of the Chaconne Emancipated, a performance piece that interweaves Bach and African American spirituals with excerpts from Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech and Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
Did you know that Dr. King made that speech on the anniversary of Emancipation Proclamation at the Lincoln Memorial?
After hearing the performance, Michael Jamanis and I have a rich conversation with guest interviewer Rev. Rhetta Morgan about:
✅Ego and the creation process
✅How African American spirituals worked on Michael
✅How I went from hating classical music to loving Bach
✅How traditional classical music audiences resisted this performance but then we found a home in non-traditional spaces such as rallies, Black History Month programs, etc.
To continue the work of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement, we need to be able to have authentic, heart-centered conversations with people of good will across the color line. Sometimes this is hard, but if you stay present and don’t over identify with your ego, anything is possible.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
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You can watch a replay of the conversation and the entire performance by joining the Mother Tree Network. Go here to make your monthly pledge: https://dramandakem.samcart.com/products/mother-tree-community-membership-pwyc
Download the Chaconne Emancipated here: https://amandakemp.bandcamp.com/album/chaconne-emancipated
Subscribe to Michael Jamanis at his youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@michaeljamanis
Rev. Rhetta Morgan’s Bio
Rev. Rhetta is an interfaith minister, facilitator, artist and healer living and working in the Philadelphia area for the past 20 years. Her work encompasses the intersections of spirituality, creativity and activism all rooted in an intention to work and live into a more just world.
