EMU’s piano virtuoso David Berry is gathering his friends for a celebration of music and community. And, he’s bringing along a special guest: a Grammy Award-winning violinist who’s performed in sold-out stadiums with Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

The David Berry and Friends concert, back by popular demand for a third straight year, returns to Martin Chapel on Friday, March 15, at 7 p.m. The concert is free to attend and open to the public. A suggested $10 donation can be made online . 

Berry, music program director at EMU as well as the night’s featured pianist, said the purpose of the concert is to bring members of the community together for a diverse repertoire of classical, jazz, soul, spirituals and gospel music. 

“All of these styles have been a part of my life,” he said, “and I’ll be performing with people I’ve gotten to know from different corners of our community.”

Who’s on stage

The talented artists joining Berry on stage include: Grammy-nominated cellist Amanda Gookin, saxophonist Josh Dove, drummer and EMU music alum Joseph Harder, bassist Joseph Nichols, multi-genre singers Michael Richardson and Devonte Garcia, actress Andreá Bellamore, and special guest artist, violinist Lady Jess.

During the concert, Berry will share stories of how he knows the musicians performing with him. For example, Dove is the owner of , a Harrisonburg, Virginia, store that helped Berry move a piano into his home.

Berry and have performed together in New York City with the Harlem Chamber Players. The violinist is a soloing member of Beyoncé’s band and joined the Single Ladies singer and Jay-Z during their On The Run II tour in 2018. She also performed with Beyoncé at the Coachella festival (2018) and appeared in the Netflix concert film Homecoming (2019). Lady Jess has played with The Roots on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and collaborated with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and Hans Zimmer — arranging and recording with the latter for the live-action The Lion King soundtrack.

Gookin is the executive director of the and works with Berry, its artistic director, to plan the annual weeklong event. Her cello music has been described as “the highest level of artistry” () and she’s been praised for her “expert technical work” (The Strad).

Both of the night’s vocalists are students at James Madison University. Berry described Richardson’s voice as big, booming and baritone, and Garcia’s as “amazing and soulful.”

What to expect

The concert will feature works ranging from Antonin Dvořák’s Piano Trio No. 3 in F-minor, Op. 65, to soulful classics by Alicia Keys and Walter Hawkins.

Dvořák was a Czech composer from the 19th century best known for his “New World Symphony.” Berry described the piece he’ll be playing with Gookin and Lady Jess as “a full journey.” “It’s a classical masterwork of chamber music,” he said, “but it’s influenced by a love of Bohemian folk music.”

Berry said Lady Jess will meet with EMU music students the day before the concert and talk to them about pursuing a career in music. In a recent about the concert, Lady Jess said she was “very excited to meet these students and to collaborate with some incredible artists.”

This event will be livestreamed on the Facebook page.

Where: Lehman Auditorium
When: 7 p.m., Friday
Cost: Free, with suggested donation of $10 to $20
Online:

˛ÝÝ®ÉçÇř’s 2023 Music Gala Concert, says David Berry, is a labor of love for so many people.

The upcoming concert will showcase three talented guest artists and every music ensemble on campus collaborating in a special evening of dance, poetry, jazz and world music. Two compositions written for the event will premiere. And the university choir and chamber orchestra will pair up to perform Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” featuring soloists Olivia Rominiyi, Sarah Hamilton, Jordan Davidson, and Shannon Kiser.

“We’re celebrating the connectedness of community and humanity across the globe and what we can do when we come together,” said Berry, music program director at EMU. 

The concert, fittingly titled Together, begins at 7 p.m. on Friday in Lehman Auditorium. It is free to attend, with to help support EMU Music.

The World Has Changed

Embodying the theme of collaboration, an actress, dancer, orchestra and choir will join together to perform The World Has Changed. The interdisciplinary piece, based on the poetry of Alice Walker, will see its world premiere at the gala. 

composed the score for The World Has Changed. Wadsworth, an assistant professor of music at Williams College, also wrote music for this year’s Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival. His compositions have been performed at The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center and at Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth II.

The World Has Changed will feature a narration of Walker’s poetry from actress of the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton. “We needed a voice that would communicate the text well with the orchestra, with the choir and with the dance, so we knew we needed someone special for that,” Berry said. He credited EMU Provost Tynisha Willingham, a board member of the theater company, with connecting Bellamore with the production.

Paula Facci, an assistant professor at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, will perform a dance that her class, Creative Approaches to Peacebuilding, helped to choreograph.

Berry described the music of The World Has Changed as “ethereal, powerful and soulful” and said the composition serves as “a celebration of what could be.”

Amahoro Suite

The other original piece premiering at the concert will be the world jazz fusion composition Amahoro Suite by , a man of many talents and cultures.

The Liberian-German composer, musician, singer, storyteller and pastor plays jazz flute, piano and percussion. He’s performed in Vatican City for Pope John Paul II and at Madison Square Garden. He is the director of , a Christian ministry affiliated with Mosaic Mennonite Conference.

“He’s really just an amazing artist and person,” Berry said. 

Makinto and his wife, Mukarabe, will recite poetry as part of Amahoro Suite. Amahoro is the Kirundi — the official language of Burundi — expression for “peace.” Amahoro Suite will include musical performances from Makinto and the EMU Jazz Band. 

“It’ll involve all kinds of things from Duke Ellington to djembe ensemble to African jazz flute,” Berry said.

‘Ode to Joy’

Those attending the concert will be treated to a choir and orchestra recital of “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. The ode, with its lyrics by poet Friedrich Schiller, has been sung at important movements throughout history to inspire and instill courage and hope, Berry said. 

“It’s been a symbol, since it’s creation, of our shared humanity, our connectedness as a human race,” he said. 

In the days leading up to the concert, about 1,500 students from Harrisonburg and Rockingham County will watch Makinto perform music and share stories as part of a unique collaboration with . EMU Music is a premier artist partner with The Kennedy Center-sponsored arts education nonprofit. 

Other collaborative partners for this event include the American Shakespeare Center, the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, EMU’s Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival and sponsor Everence Federal Credit Union.

For those who cannot attend in person, a livestream will be available to watch online through the .