Actor

Playwright

AMERICA(!) THE BEAUTIFUL(?) is an immersive evening of performance and civic imagination. Curated and hosted by artist and cultural strategist Marc Bamuthi Joseph, this event brings together multidisciplinary artists who’ve been tasked with creating a set that answers one question: “When in your American life have you felt most free?”

Acclaimed poet and musician aja monet, joined by a live band, headlines the night blending jazz, soul, and spoken word. Much like her 2023 album When the Poems Do What They Do, which Exclaim! magazine called “a roadmap to somewhere greater,” monet’s performance moves between tenderness and power, inviting audiences into radical love and a renewed sense of freedom.

AMERICA(!) THE BEAUTIFUL(?) With aja monet, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Xiuhtezcatl, Kai the Universe

The Ford

The city of Atlanta has emerged as one of the world’s most exciting musical capitals, spanning such diverse genres as gospel, hip-hop, opera, orchestral music, and more. This week, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra taps into some of the city’s exceptional local talent. We welcome the famed choirs from Morehouse and Spelman Colleges for a program featuring Atlanta-based composers. GRAMMY™ nominated composer Carlos Simon packs a powerful social conscience into many of his works. brea(d)th and Motherboxx Connection explore contemporary life in Black America.

The Orchestra also presents a stunning lineup of vocal soloists alongside the visionary poet and performance artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph. The program includes We Shall Overcome by Uzee Brown, a distinguished artist from Morehouse College.

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Carlos Simon Curates

Atlanta Symphony Hall

The Albany Symphony, long known for celebrating the breadth of American culture through new music, continues its community-building work with Convergence, a three-year collaborative project through which the Symphony, Capital Region communities, and nationally acclaimed artistic partners join together in an exploration of three Black American art forms. Funded by the Carl E. Touhey Foundation, Convergence will build community-wide awareness of our contemporary world through artistic inquiry and musical creation.

Actor, Playwright

Marc Bamuthi Joseph

Events

Past events

Oct 3, 2026

AMERICA(!) THE BEAUTIFUL(?) With aja monet, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Xiuhtezcatl, Kai the Universe · The Ford

15 - 17 Feb, 2024

Carlos Simon Curates · Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

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