african american music

Get ready for thought-provoking conversations on 'The Truth in This Art' podcast, with your host, Rob Lee, and today’s guest: Darin Atwater, a distinguished composer, conductor, pianist, and producer, embodies a prolific career that spans film, recording, radio, and television. As the visionary force behind Soulful Symphony, an orchestra ingeniously fusing classical and African American roots music, Atwater shapes cultural landscapes and fosters artistic unity. With over two decades of expertise, he stands as a cultural architect, captivating audiences and cultivating a distinctive artistic realm where music bridges divides and ignites a vibrant community.

In this feature, we unravel:

• A melodic voyage tracing Darin Atwater's roots, from his early piano notes resonating in the church to his own compositions, unearthing the bedrock of his musical odyssey.
• Delve into the resonant genesis of Soulful Symphony, a movement ignited to honor and revitalize African American heritage while challenging the entrenched Eurocentric contours of classical music, ushering a symphony of inclusivity.
• Engage in an enriching conversation as Atwater unearths the essence of a thriving art community, unveiling the profound tapestry woven through human interaction, local heritage, and cultural narratives.
• Explore the transformative power of communal art experiences with Atwater, who passionately advocates embracing shared encounters over passive consumption, sparking a discourse on redefining our relationship with the arts.
• Peer into the creative alchemy of Darin Atwater's artistry, as he navigates the ever-evolving currents of contemporary music and cultural shifts, expertly interweaving present-day influences into his compositions, ensuring an enduring relevance that harmonizes past, present, and future.

This is a must-listen episode as Darin discusses his background in music and the inspiration behind the orchestra. He shares how his early experiences playing the piano in church and his love for classical music led him to create a symphony that celebrates African American music and culture. Atwater emphasizes the importance of preserving and honoring local artistic traditions and creating a sense of community through music. He also discusses his involvement in the upcoming Preakness event and the unique fusion of classical and contemporary music that Soulful Symphony brings to the stage.

Mentioned in this episode
Darin Atwater - Kennedy Center

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This program is supported (in part) by a grant from the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation.

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Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard.

Episode illustration by Alley Kid Art.

About "The Truth In This Art"

"The Truth In This Art," hosted by Rob Lee, is a podcast that explores the essence of creativity and its community impact, amplifying artists' voices and their profound stories.

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A conversation with Mark Anthony Neal, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor in the Department of African American Studies at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. He writes and publishes widely in cultural criticism, with particular focus on the cultural production and African American musical history of soul and rhythm and blues music. He is the author and editor of a number of books, including most recently Looking for Leroy: Illegible Black Masculinities, published in 2013 by New York University Press, and the 2015 publication of the tenth anniversary edition of his classic text New Black Man with Routledge. In this conversation, we discuss the relationship between African American music, mourning, cultural politics, and mobilization in the digital age after our analogue moment. His book Black Ephemera: The Crisis and Challenge of the Musical Archive, the occasion for our conversation today, was published by New York University Press in early-March 2022.

An inside look into the community and the magic behind Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir’s famed director, Terrance Kelly, an Emmy Award winning vocalist and composer who has been called everything from a “a man of great passion and conviction” to a “demanding taskmaster” to “an absolute musical genius.”  Hear from members of the choir who are closest to him and his stories of growing up in a musical family all set to the moving music of the gospel choir and Terrance Kelly himself as we answer the questions, “How can you inspire a community of hundreds to greatness?” and “What does it take to reach transcendence?”  Music heard in this episode provided by the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir and Terrance Kelly.

​Click here to find out more about the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir.

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