Solange Knowles, Saint Heron to curate BAM 2023 Spring Music Series

Knowles will curate concerts, films, and theater pieces at Brooklyn Academy of Music to celebrate genre-bending musical icons.

Solange Knowles has been selected to curate the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s (BAM) 2023 Spring Music Series. BAM announced on Wednesday that Knowles’ creative arts institution, Saint Heron, is also involved in the curation.

Knowles will plan numerous concerts, films, dance, performance art and theater pieces throughout BAM’s Spring Music Series, filling the various venues on its multi-theater downtown Brooklyn campus. The events will honor artistic icons who have impacted generations with genre-bending art across many decades.

“We’re thrilled that through her visionary platform, Saint Heron, Solange is curating BAM’s spring 2023 music series with a bold, experimental, and holistic approach that embraces our values and future vision,” BAM President Gina Duncan said in a statement. 

Lena Horne Prize Event Honoring Solange Knowles Presented By Salesforce
Solange Knowles, at the Lena Horne Prize Event in February 2020, has been selected to curate the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s 2023 Spring Music Series. (Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images for The Town Hall)

The roster is an “eclectic lineup” of acts, performing in several different genres and disciplines. The intention is to introduce innovative artists to Saint Heron’s and BAM’s audience “through fellowship and performance,” according to the statement.

“We’re excited to work with Solange and her Saint Heron collective for this incredible music series of genre-crossing artists presented in unprecedented ways,” BAM Artistic Director David Binder said. “Her experimental, global, and authentic approach consistently pushes the boundary of what performance can be and charts new pathways for audiences to connect. We can’t wait to see how this transpires on our stages.”

The first shows — the lineup has yet to be announced — in the series are slated for Winter 2023. Author and cultural critic Hanif Abduarraqib curated BAM’s 2022 Spring Music Series, featuring performances from Mavis Staples, Devonté Hynes, Little Simz and Nikki Giovanni, among others.

Knowles performed as a BAM headliner during the 2013 Crossing Brooklyn Ferry music festival.

The BAM news follows her collaboration last month with the New York City Ballet. In composing music for the program, “Play Time,” Knowles became only the second Black American woman to compose music for the famed ballet company. The program will return next spring.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

SHARE THIS ARTICLE