Dmae continues coverage of Portland arts groups creatively pivoting during the pandemic. First up 45th Parallel Universe and their Friday night Portland Social Distance Ensemble. She talks with executive director Ron Blessinger and tech volunteer Danny Rosenberg who created a sound app to make it work. Then Dmae features an excerpt of a film by World Stage Theatre founded and run by Shalanda Sims who directed the film titled "Growing Up Black in Oregon: A Conversation." We'll hear four Black youth describe in personal detail about their experiences.
(Aired 10am 6/2/2020 on KBOO 90.7 FM or always on stagenstudio.com and iTunes.)
Hear the Portland Social Distance Ensemble on Facebook. Or YouTube.
Founded by Greg Ewer, 45th Parallel Universe is a collective of musicians who come together to celebrate great chamber music with intimate artistic experiences. For seventeen years, Ron Blessinger was artistic director for Third Angle New Music, producing 12 critically acclaimed recordings, creating a commissioning fund and recording label, and producing residencies with leading composers, including Pulitzer Prize and Grammy winners Steve Reich, Jennifer Higdon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe and Zhou Long, among many others.
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Growing Up Black in Oregon: A Conversation" was written and directed by Shalanda Sims, artistic director and founder of World Stage Theatre. Edited by Syhairah Sims. Audio production by Zaysims.Featured voices in the excerpted audio are: Nya Brown, Zahira Desphy, Livellah Johnson, Lyric Lowe, Isaiah Sims and Jayshawn Young.
World Stage Theatre, a multidisciplinary arts organization, created a film and a conversation with local youth and young adults on their experience growing up Black in Oregon. They explore the joys of being human as well as the trauma of being judged by the color of their skin. This film and conversation debuted on the Virtual Vanport Mosaic Festival. This film is part of an on-going conversation so stay tuned!
See the entire film: "Growing Up Black in Oregon: A Conversation." on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/b3dSlMjCSzY Or see the entire film and the public conversation led by Shalanda Sims on World Stage Theatre's Facebook page.
- KBOO