Castle of our Skins Explores the Great Migration at BMC

Ashleigh Gordon, artistic director of Castle of our Skins, told The Keene Sentinel that she is looking forward to returning to the Brattleboro Music Center to present her latest program: And, Perhaps to Bloom on May 2. "This program, And, Perhaps to Bloom, is based on a beautiful quote by Richard Wright that has been referenced by Isabel Wilkerson and one of our composers, Carlo Simon. It says, 'As I was leaving the south to fling myself into the unknown, I was taking a part of the South to transplant in alien soil to see if it could grow differently, if it could drink of new and cool rains, bend in strange winds, respond to the warmth of other suns,' (which is the title of Isabel Wilkerson's book) 'and perhaps to bloom,' said Gordon. Gordon continued, "And the power of that visual of trying to seek the words of other suns, to move and go into an unknown land trying to search for something better —with the sense that perhaps I may be able to bloom and flourish and prosper — is that of an immigrant story. It's that of forced migration. It's that of anyone feeling displaced, uncomfortable, unsafe in this country, and thinking, where can I find sanctuary?" She said that this timely topic has "a lot of relevance to this story that is the American experiment, particularly as it relates to indigenous communities of forced migrations. What we're seeing now with immigration and the global majority of people of color having had forced migrations throughout time."" Gordon lives in Boston where "Castle of our Skins" is based and co-founded the concert and education series in 2013 to celebrate Black artistry through music. Mary Greene, executive director of the Brattleboro Music Center wrote in an email to The Keene Sentinel, "The cultural inequities amplified in the spring of 2020 led us to reflect on how we might be contributing to these inequities in our concert halls and in the repertoire we use for teaching, and how we wanted to grow into something better. To begin this growth, we invited Ashleigh Gordon to join us as an artist in residence. From 2021 to 2024, she worked with BMC faculty and staff to learn about the many Black composers and musicians whose work has been neglected and overlooked." Greene continued, "Through a series of presentations, discussions and performances, "Castle of Our Skins" have helped us make the music we teach and perform more representative and inclusive. Following Gordon's residency, she and COOS have continued to advise staff and faculty. We are grateful for our work with them over the past several years and look forward to learning from them for many years to come." "The themes of the May 2 And, Perhaps to Bloom program are especially resonant and poignant in light of the many current challenges and obstacles facing those in our community and beyond who are attempting resettlement and renewal in 2026. Concerts like this one are an important part of expanding our community's understanding of the musical world: who do we recognize as composer or musician? How do we learn to appreciate the vastness of the artistic community beyond what we, as the audience, already know? In addition to being part of our educational mission, these concerts help to strengthen our community, and besides, it's just fabulous music," wrote Greene. The program, And, Perhaps to Bloom, includes chamber works, art songs and spirituals by Black classical composers and Boston-based musicians Philip Lima, baritone; Grant Houston and Matthew Vera, violins; Ashleigh Gordon, viola; Jing Li, cello; and Sarah Bob, piano. And, Perhaps to Bloom takes place on Saturday, May 2 at 7 p.m. at the Brattleboro Music Center. The concert will be preceded by a talk at 6:15 p.m. led by Ashleigh Gordon will focus on the music in the program as well as the concert inspiration, The Great Migration. For more information, visit www.bmcvt.org or call 802-257-4523.