The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is bringing Wakanda to Baltimore for orchestra concertgoers and movie fans.

The BSO is honoring Black History Month with programs highlighting contributions from Black musicians, artists and composers as part of their “Hall for All“ initiative, a plan to diversify programming to reach more audiences at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. “The Jazz Age — Harlem Renaissance,” “Marvel Studios’ Black Panther Live in Concert” and “Calypso Fusion” performances will “celebrate pivotal time periods … that encapsulate the evolution of Black music, spoken word, and film while highlighting talented composers, conductors, and musicians,” BSO president and CEO Mark C. Hanson said in a statement.

Jonathan Rush, who will conduct the “Harlem Renaissance” and “Calypso Fusion” programs, said February’s concerts serve as a good opportunity to educate all attendees, with the former program in particular serving as a historical journey through one of the golden ages for African American culture. The Harlem program will consist of poetry by Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn B. Bennett, as well as music by James. P Johnson and a performance by Wordsmith, a spoken word artist.

“We want people to realize that people who look like us not only have a voice, but a large voice in the world of classical music in general,” Rush said.

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For the programs to reach a younger crowd, the Harlem performances are free (with transportation included) for Baltimore City Title 1 school students, and the “Black Panther” concert is eligible for discounted children’s tickets. Cyrina Yarbrough — BSO’s senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer — said that as a nonprofit organization, it is the BSO’s civic duty to serve the community, and these programs are a form of that.

“We want to make sure children have access as a part of our education initiative,” she said. “These are great examples of what it looks like when different people within the BSO come together to create something specifically geared towards the community.”

The “Black Panther” performances are a chance for the BSO to also reach another potentially untapped audience source: Marvel film fans. The 2018 movie and soundtrack proved to be a cultural phenomenon, and saw critical and commercial success. The Oscar- and Grammy-winning score, written by Ludwig Göransson, will be performed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with renowned Hollywood conductor Anthony Parnther at the helm.

“Calypso Fusion,” a drum-oriented concert, will take place later in the month with steelpan artist Josanne Francis joining BSO to spotlight various percussion instruments.

The slate of February shows are an important part of the BSO’s programming, as the institution “actively works to create inclusive opportunities while evoking a spirit of connectivity through music and creativity,” Hanson said. Whether there’s any other superhero scores in the works remains to be seen.

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“The Jazz Age — Harlem Renaissance” will be performed Feb. 8 at 10 and 11:30 a.m., and Feb. 9 at 10 a.m.

“Marvel Studios’ Black Panther Live in Concert” will be performed Feb. 9 at 8 p.m., Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 11 at 8 p.m.

“Calypso Fusion” will be performed Feb. 25 at 11 a.m.

taji.burris@thebaltimorebanner.com

Taji Burris has covered the Baltimore music scene since 2015 for outlets such as The Working Title and The 4th Quarter, and now at the Baltimore Banner. 

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