https://heellife.unc.edu/event/10494090 FEATURING LaToya Lain, soprano Ronnal Ford, violin Ken Rogerson, viola Brent Wissick, cello Rick Eckberg, bass Bridget O'Leary, piano PROGRAM Songs in a Troubled Key: Musical Settings of Poems of Langston Hughes by Margaret Bonds and John Shields Caldwell The black American poet Langston Hughes visited UNC-Chapel Hill in late November of 1931, where his speech included a passionate and provocative defense of the Scottsboro Boys. In commemoration of this historical event, we present a world premiere of a set of Langston Hughes’ poems with music by North Carolina composer John Shields Caldwell (PhD Musicology – UNC 2021). Dr. LaToya Lain is the featured vocalist. She will be accompanied by a small chamber ensemble that includes Bridget O’Leary (piano), Brent Wissick (cello), Ronnal Ford (violin), Ken Rogerson (viola), and Rick Eckberg (bass). The program will also feature a song cycle by Margaret Bonds, a longtime collaborator with Langston Hughes. TICKETS (https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/uncmusic/7367) $15 general admission $10 students, faculty, and staff Free UNC Music students, faculty, and staff Purchase tickets online beginning September 1, or at the door 30 minutes prior to the concert start time. PARKING (https://music.unc.edu/about/directions/) Please plan to arrive early as parking on campus can be tricky. Learn more about parking and directions to UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus. This event is part of the 2024-2025 William S. Newman Artists Series (https://music.unc.edu/events/concert-series/newman/), a series of select concerts celebrating the alliance of scholarship and performance that animates the lives of music faculty and students at Carolina. This concert is co-sponsored by the Stone Center and the Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies.