Ashleigh Gordon

Violist Ashleigh Gordon and pianist Anthony R. Green were students at the New England Conservatory of Music and were frustrated by the lack of representation of Black voices in classical music. So, in 2013, they co-founded Castle of our Skins—a music initiative in Boston focused on celebrating Black artistry in music. Ashleigh Gordon is the organization’s artistic and executive director as well as violist who performs in many of the concerts. From its successful first outing, “Castle of our Skins”—the name comes from a poem by Nikki Giovanni—has grown into a distinguished concert and music education series with creative programming that weaves music with visual art, dance, history, and storytelling. In this podcast, Gordon talks about the organization’s founding, how its mission has evolved and expanded throughout the years, the centrality of interdisciplinary work and partnerships to its programming, and how, as a Black arts organization, Castle of our Skins, which received an ARP grant from the NEA, is moving forward through “a health pandemic and a racial pandemic.”

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Music Excerpts from today’s podcast:

“Love Let The Wind Cry...How I Adore Thee" by Undine Smith Moore, performed by soprano Sirgourney Cook and pianist Sarah Bob. Performed live May 26, 2018 at Hibernian Hall, Boston as part of Castle of our Skins's "Ain't I a Woman" project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8GV-bTW740

“Wade in the Water” from Spiritual Fantasy No 12 by Frederick Tillis, performed by Gabriela Díaz, violin; Matthew Vera, violin; Francesca McNeeley, cello; Ashleigh Gordon, viola. Recorded live in the Boston Athenaeum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c68p3p_JT1g

“Positive Negativity” by Gary Powell Nash, performed by Ashleigh Gordon, viola and Anthony R. Green, from Castle of our Skins's Black Composer Miniature Challenge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlkrqPTkLl0