Once upon a time, Classical Queens was only a research paper. Then it was a podcast. On Saturday, Jan. 11 in the Morrison Center, it will be a theatrical orchestra experience known as Classical Queens: Our Time.
Created by local Black artist Jessica Joy Harned, Our Time blends classical music, rap, poetry, and dance in an exciting theatrical experience that defies traditional orchestral norms. The show’s storyline explores the untold stories of two groundbreaking Black women composers, Florence Price and Margaret Bonds, and their unlikely friendship during Chicago’s Black Renaissance in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
A Boise State alum with a Master of Music in violin performance, Harned has dedicated her work and artistry to championing and centering BIPOC voices. She is a Boise Philharmonic violinist and a Mariachi Sol De Acapulco member and has amplified education about marginalized individuals in classical music as a performer, producer, and teacher. Harned’s podcast, in particular, began her journey into the forgotten, yet extraordinary lives of women of color in classical music. It is Harned’s unique background and her desire to understand belonging and her place in classical music that drew her to Price and Bonds, women who did the most in their time and are remembered the least.
Students, faculty and staff are invited to get a free ticket for the performance at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 11. For a free ticket, show your Bronco Card at the Morrison Center Ticket Office, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday – Friday.