Music by J. Rosamond Johnson and H. T. Burleigh | Virtual Concert Series

Erika Banks-Alvarez, soprano
Nnenna Ogwo, piano

Program:
Lift Every Voice and Sing J. Rosamond Johnson
You Asked Me if I love You  H. T. Burleigh
I Want to Die While You Love Me

5 Songs of Laurence Hope
I. Worth While
II. The Jungle Flower
III. Kashmiri Song
IV. Among the Fuchsias
V. Till I Wake

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Erika Banks-Alvarez has diverse vocal training in classical, jazz and musical theater. She currently holds a B.M and M. M. in voice performance, both from the University of Michigan, where she studied with the late Shirley Verrett. She has performed in Falstaff as “Nannetta”, in Die Zauberflöte as “Pamina”, and in "Candide" and "The Elixir of Love", just to name a few highlights.

Nnnenna Ogwo is a classically trained pianist and teaching artist dedicated to engaging listeners with her lush, richly layered performances. Her unwavering commitment to programming the music of under-represented composers is rooted in the belief that we can’t be what we can’t see or hear. This commitment is reflected in her various projects and collaborations with other musicians of color in presenting music of the African Diaspora and beyond.

From mid-September through May, The Interchurch Center sponsors a series of programs by professional artists from the New York metropolitan area and beyond. Programs range from string quartets to woodwind ensembles, traditional African folk music to Celtic songs and dances, medieval to jazz, vocal soloists to choirs, and emerging artists to established professionals. Director of Chapel Music Christopher Johnson arranges a broad spectrum of quality programming that is designed to appeal to the widest possible audience.