Baldwin Chronicles IV: The Art of Being Black

For opening night of Z Fest II , in memory of Saalik A. Ziyad, Renee Baker's Chicago Modern Orchestra Project (CMOP) presents the Baldwin Chronicles IV: The Art of Being Black.

A renaissance woman in the truest sense, Renee Baker (composer, violist, poet, artist, filmmaker) brings us the fourth piece ofThe Baldwin Chronicles: The Art of Being Black, a multimedia musical work of operatic proportions based on texts by James Baldwin. Just as relevant now as he was in the mid-twentieth century, Baldwin painted a nuanced portrait of Black life in America. An artistic rumination on the conversation Baldwin’s texts and speeches brought about, The Baldwin Chronicles is performed by instrumentalists and singers from the Chicago Modern Orchestra Project (CMOP) and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).

Z Fest II is presented by Taalib-Din Ziyad and Daaiyah Ziyad. This performance is presented in partnership with the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts.