Room | to | Breathe

A 8-part STREAMING concert series co-presented by the cell and Bright Shiny Things

June 27 | July 11 | July 25 | August 8 | August 22 | September 12 | October 10

T Stands For…

Saturday, June 27th | 5pm and 8pm

As a part of June’s Pride Month celebration, “T Stands For…” unites artists around the rallying cry, “we are stronger when we rise together.” Joy,  struggle and liberation are expressed through music across ages and styles. This event and our performers stand up with the transgender community as they work to undo the social hurdles, injustices and violence they face everyday. Part of all proceeds will be donated to The Black Trans Advocacy Coalition. www.blacktrans.org

Artists include:

Divine Feminine

Saturday, July 11th | 5pm and 8pm

“Femininity is depicted as weakness, the sapping of strength, yet masculinity is so fragile that apparently even the slightest brush with the feminine destroys it.” This quote by Gwen Swap serves as inspiration for “Divine Feminine” in which we will break open your expectations of where femininity can thrive. 

Part of all proceeds will benefit Step Up (www.suwn.org), an organization that empowers girls to fulfill their potential. 

Artists include:

Culture Creatures

Saturday, July 25th | 5pm and 8pm

Our cultural landscape is a tapestry of colorful patterns stitched together by experience and circumstance. In diversity there is strength. Music and art draw from this in abundance. “Culture Creatures” weaves together a unique tapestry made up of the great variety available to us. Part of all proceeds will benefit The Young Center For Immigrant Children's Rights (theyoungcenter.org)

Artist Kevork Mourad has generously donated some original artwork to support this project. We will be raffling off pieces during the livestream and rebroadcast - to buy a raffle ticket, simply make a donation during the livestream. $10 donation for 1 ticket, $20 for 3 tickets and $50 for 10 tickets.

Artists include:

Breaking Waves

Saturday, August 8th | 5pm and 8pm

Across oceans, as well as right in our own backyard, the world’s population fights for access to basic healthcare needs. As we face the global pandemic, these needs are urgent and greater than ever. “Breaking Waves” engages with the seemingly endless fight for access through sound and spoken word. Part of all proceeds will benefit Partners in Health. (PIH.org)

Artists include:

Sound | in | Sight

Saturday, August 22 | 5pm and 8pm

It’s not hard to see that science matters and can help us overcome the many challenges we face on this planet. “Sound | in | Sight” celebrates the beauty of earth, the truth about its fragility and the reason that can guide us through. Part of all proceeds benefit Union of Concerned Scientists, an organization that uses science to solve the plant’s most pressing problems. (Ucsusa.org) 

Artists include:

World Hold On

Saturday, Sept 12 | 5pm and 8pm

The beat.  The pulse. The unifying rhythm of human existence. We are all one. “World Hold On” unites us through sound, rhythm and poetry that exemplify the very base structure of our plight here on earth. To be fed, to be sheltered, to be loved. Cultures, language, and even oceans may separate us, but the beating of our hearts unites us. The program includes the world premiere of Drew Hemenger’s “Breathe” and performed by the composer herself, Dalit Warshaw’s “Resurrection”. Part of all proceeds benefit Rise Against Hunger. (riseagainsthunger.org)

Artists include:

Schubert’s Die Schöne Müllerin 

Saturday, Oct 10 | 8pm

Baritone Michael Kelly, guitarist/composer David Leisner and visual artist Kevork Mourad join forces around a new arrangement by Leisner for voice and guitar of Franz Schubert’s seminal work, Die Schöne Müllerin. The twenty song cycle aptly tells the story of a boy at the beginning of a journey; his first friend, his first job, his first love, and his first betrayal. The abstract dreamscape which one can imagine playing in the mind of our protagonist is represented by animations, created in advance, which act as a foundation for imagery drawn in tandem with the live performance. These images splash the raw emotional underbelly and immediate reactions to the music across the wall.

Part of all proceeds will be donated to the It Gets Better Project, an organization dedicated to preventing teen suicide in the LGBTQ youth population. https://itgetsbetter.org