Voices of Mississippi at Lincoln Center (Photo by Mychelle Farmer)
Voices of Mississippi, the immersive multimedia event celebrating the music, art, and storytelling traditions of the people of Mississippi, has announced five upcoming performances following a critically acclaimed run of sold-out shows last year.
The newly announced dates include a performance at Strathmore Music Center on Saturday, Feb. 4.
With a broad array of photos, film clips, stories, and live music, Voices of Mississippi paints a powerful picture of a unique time and place that remains an essential piece of the American cultural fabric. Based on 2019’s 2x GRAMMY Award-winning box set, Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris, the program integrates film, audio recordings, and rare photographs captured by renowned folklorist William “Bill” Ferris alongside features live performances from musicians Luther and Cody Dickinson of the 3x GRAMMY® Award-nominated North Mississippi Allstars and Sharde Thomas of the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band, all of whom are direct descendants of artists documented by Ferris.
Special guest 2x GRAMMY Award-winning Blues Hall of Famer Bobby Rush also appears with the program at the Strathmore, along with Luther and Cody (best known for their band North Mississippi Allstars).
Watch a preview of Voices of Mississippi by Strathmore on YouTube:
Voices of Mississippi was first performed at the University of Mississippi on Sept. 14, 2021. February 2022 saw the production hosted by New York City’s Jazz At Lincoln Center for four remarkable, sold-out performances that earned applause from such publications as The New Yorker and Elmore Magazine, which praised Voices of Mississippi as “an innovative and arresting multi-media production… that transported a sold-out audience to Mississippi, past and present.” Performances at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and Savannah, GA’s Savannah Music Festival followed in April 2022.
A historian with a proudly egalitarian lens, William “Bill” Ferris studied Mississippi as a slice of humanity in which everyone and everything was interconnected — and in which the beating heart of broader cultural traditions could be found in some of the most overlooked figures and places. From the 1960s through the 1990s, Ferris — who delivered a widely praised 2017 TED Talk, “Memory and Place in the American South” — captured an invaluable archive of cultural and musical treasures, and much of that art and humanity is shared in this unique concert experience.
Daryl Davis delivers a preconcert lecture and blues jam before the show at 6:30pm in the Strathmore lobby! The audience may enjoy Davis’ “Piedmont Blues Lecture and Blues Jam” at no additional cost.
Voices of Mississippi
W/ Bobby Rush, Luther Dickinson, Cody Dickinson, Sharde Thomas, William Ferris, Daryl Davis
Strathmore Music Center
Saturday, Feb. 4
Show @ 8pm
$24-$68
All ages