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On January 15 at Joe’s Pub, iconoclastic pianist Lara Downes will be joined by Theo Bleckmann, Helga Davis, Arturo O'Farrill, Martha Redbone, Vuyo Sotashe and Curtis Stewart in a collective response to this current American moment. With music ranging from traditional spirituals and iconic folk anthems to new works in progress, these visionary artists gather to contemplate the long arc of history, to explore the intersections of progress and protest, recognize the stubbornness of hope, and celebrate the radical power of joy, as they also honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on what would have been his 95th birthday.

Joe’s Pub

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January 15

7PM, 6PM Doors

https://publictheater.org/productions/joes-pub/2024/l/lara-downes/ 

"These are some hard times in America. More than ever, it's music that gives me my voice and my strength, and helps me find my center. In times like these, you turn to your friends for communion and community. So we come together and share our music, reflecting on the lessons of the past, preparing to navigate an unknown future, and simply being present here and now, in the singularity of this American moment." - Lara Downes

On January 17, in advance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Downes will releaseI Believe in the Prince of Peace, Credo No. 5 by Margaret Bonds on the Rising Sun label.  This live recording was captured in April 2024, when Downes joined the Los Angeles Master Chorale at Walt Disney Concert Hall in a historic revival of Bonds' Credo. In a time of global conflict, the text of this work, by W.E.B. DuBois, is a timely statement of the urgency for peace on earth: “I believe in the Prince of Peace. I believe that War is Murder. I believe that armies and navies are at bottom the tinsel and braggadocia of oppression and wrong; and I believe that the wicked conquest of weaker and darker nations by nations whiter and stronger but foreshadows the death of that strength.” TEASER CLIP.  Downes’ concert in April marked the first major performance of this work since its premiere in Los Angeles in 1972, by the LA Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, just weeks after the composer’s death.  

Downes has had a tremendous 2024. In February she debuted her recording of “Rhapsody In Blue Reimagined,” a radical new arrangement by the Puerto Rican composer Edmar Colon celebrating the centennial of Gershwin’s iconic American masterwork by reflecting on a century of transformation and immigration.  The piece was featured in a star-studded free concert in Brooklyn Bridge Park, presented by St. Ann’s Warehouse and WNYC, in which Lara was joined by special guests Rosanne Cash, Christian McBride, Arturo O’Farrill and Time for Three.  Lara debuted a new season of her acclaimed NPR interview series Amplify (her most recent guest is Jon Batiste). 

She released her new studio album - This Land - on the Pentatone label, a soulful and probing reflection, at a critical American moment, on the diversity of stories and journeys that have converged and collided throughout history.  Over 9 tracks, the album blends traditional folk tunes with newly commissioned works and a personal audio essay, Downes celebrates the American experiment's beauty while acknowledging its flaws, ultimately embracing hope and humanity as pathways to a brighter future. It features works by Paul Simon, George Gershwin, Arturo O’Farrill, Woody Guthrie (reimagined by Kian Ravaei), Joseph C. Phillips, Jr. William Benton Overstreet, and Jake Heggie. 

Other highlights include Downes’ three-year appointment as the inaugural Creative Partner of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, performing at Disney Hall, curating and performing in a program at Lincoln Center, and launching a new, nationally syndicated radio show entitled Classical America, produced by Classical California KDFC/KUSC.  

Downes also recently announced that she will be performing “Rhapsody In Blue Reimagined” with the Knoxville Symphony in her Big Ears festival debut in Knoxville this March, among other scheduled dates including with the Philadelphia Orchestra in May: https://www.laradownes.com/tour