Singer ANQWENIQUE, Vocal Octet Reson8 Headline Four Pittsburgh Performs Concerts
Chamber Music Pittsburgh (CMP) has announced its 2025 Pittsburgh Performs series, which brings innovative local musicians into unexpected neighborhood venues. Voices of Pittsburgh will open with two concerts featuring multitalented vocalist ANQWENIQUE in a program celebrating Juneteenth, followed by the vocal octet Reson8 presenting Singing Out Loud, a celebration of LGBTQ+ composers in July. These concerts will take place across the city, bringing the valuable experience of live music to Pittsburgh’s many neighborhoods.
“Pittsburgh Performs has been a core part of our mission for many seasons—it provides a platform for us to showcase the diverse talents of musicians here in our region,” says Martha Bonta, Executive and Artistic Director of Chamber Music Pittsburgh. “In this year’s series, ‘Voices of Pittsburgh,’ audiences can look forward to artist-curated programs that shine a light on brilliant yet under-celebrated composers in venues throughout Pittsburgh that are not typical concert halls. We look forward to amplifying the voices of our amazing local artists and sharing their uplifting performances with our community.”
ANQWENIQUE and Friends Celebrate Juneteenth | Saturday, June 14 & Thursday, June 19
Presented in partnership with the Madame Mary Caldwell Dawson Branch of the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) and Hope Academy of Music and the Arts, these concerts feature longtime CMP collaborator ANQWENIQUE. With a love for jazz, opera, classical, and soul music, ANQWENIQUE bridges genre and era to craft unforgettable musical experiences that embody her passion for performance.
The program includes works by influential Black American composers, including Jessie Montgomery, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Nicole Mitchell, Cecile McLorin Salvant, and more.
These concerts feature soprano ANQWENIQUE, violinist Omari Abdul-Alim, violist Gloria Wide, and pianist Irene Monteverde.
Reson8: Singing Out Loud | Saturday, July 12 & Sunday, July 13
Presented in partnership with Resonance Works, the Reson8 Vocal Octet celebrates the vibrant voices of LGBTQ+ creators in a soul-stirring concert of beauty and belonging. The program will include works by Jennifer Higdon, Conrad Susa, Mari Esobel Valverde, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Franz Schubert, Caroline Shaw, Leonard Bernstein, Ricky Ian Gordon, and Stephen Sondheim.
Reson8 features sopranos Charlene Canty and Amelia D’Arcy; mezzo-sopranos Timothi Williams and Zanna Fredland; tenors George Milosh and Andrew Bloomgarden; and baritones Daniel Teadt and Graham Fandrei.
About the Artists
ANQWENIQUE
Pittsburgh native ANQWENIQUE is a highly versatile vocalist and educator specializing in opera, classical music, jazz, and soul. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Voice Performance from Indiana University of PA. She has performed and collaborated with Chamber Music Pittsburgh, Attack Theater, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, BOOM Concepts, composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, Luna Loba Collective/Shey Rivera-Rios, Roger Humphries, Nicole Mitchell, Kenny Peagler, and many others.
Reson8
Launched in the Fall 2024, Reson8 brings together “some of the best singing talent available, right here in the Pittsburgh area” (OnStage Pittsburgh) to form a vocal octet. Under the direction of Resonance Works Artistic and General Director Maria Sensi Sellner, Reson8 performs a wide range of repertoire, from J.S. Bach to Aaron Copland to Gilda Lyons.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
ANQWENIQUE and Friends Celebrate Juneteenth, performances Saturday, June 14 • 2:00 pm • East Liberty Presbyterian Church, East Liberty and Thursday, June 19 • 7:30pm • Emerald City PGH, Downtown.
Reson8: Singing Out Loud performances are Saturday, July 12 • 7:30pm • Attack Theatre, Lawrenceville and Sunday, July 13 • 3:00 pm • Crafton United Presbyterian Church, Crafton.
Tickets are pay-what-you-wish and can be purchased online here for the June concerts and here for the July concerts.
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Show Previews
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