Adrienne Torf & Voices of the Revolution Performing Torf & June Jordan’s Collaboration

Daily Dose  |  11/07/2023 10:00 am

Adrienne Torf & Voices of the Revolution will be featured in concert on (Sa) Nov. 11 at the Center for Performing Arts at the University of Toledo. Sponsored by the Steinem Sisters Collection at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library, the Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women, the Office of Multicultural Student Services, the Department of Music, and the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at UToledo, this free event begins at 7 p.m. 

This performance will bring together the moving poetry of the late African American poet and activist June Jordan, the piano and compositional piano artistry of Adrienne Torf, and the powerful spoken word of Lansing’s own Voices of the Revolution. Special guests Rose Jangmi Cooper and Shelia Burks will add vocal alchemy to the performance. This is the first time that a selection of Jordan and Torf’s collaborative works will be performed in this format  - the program honors June Jordan’s legacy, including performances of the collaborative works along with poems by Jordan and other poets.

Tracks from Jordan and Torf’s Collaboration: Selected Works 1988-2000, written and recorded by Jordan and Torf and released in 2003, will be featured. The poetry performed is for an adult audience. The content includes images of misogyny, racism, violence, and other intersections of oppression.
 
Adrienne Torf is a composer and pianist. Her piano and synthesizer work appears on three solos albums, one in collaboration with her artistic collaborator, the great African American poet, essayist, and activist June Jordan, and more than a dozen commercial releases by other artists. Recent projects include the Theater Alliance / IN Series Washington DC, production of “Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience” which was awarded the 2023 Helen Hayes Theater Award for “Outstanding New Play or Musical Adaptation,” and the September 2022 Sedona, AZ production of Torf’s original ensemble piece for instruments and spoken word, “The Awesome Difficult Work of Love.”
 
Voices of the Revolution is an eclectic collective of feminist voices telling truth through spoken word. Based in Lansing, Michigan, they perform in libraries, community centers, art galleries, or wherever they’re invited. Their work features their own poetry as well as poets such as Pat Parker and June Jordan. Formed in 2018, their collaboration is based on love and respect that goes back decades. The group includes Kim Griffin, Susan Harris, Laurie Hollinger, Tari Muñiz, Lisa Sarno and Ruelaine Stokes. This performance also features singers Rose Jangmi Cooper and Shelia Burks.

The performance will take place in the Recital Hall of the Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Toledo. Parking Lot 12 is the closest lot to the Center for Performing Arts. It is attached to the Law Center (1825 W Rocket Dr, Toledo, OH 43606) and has both metered and non-metered spots and handicapped parking.