Toshi Reagon: Songs for the Journey

Erin O'Brien

Overview

Artist in Residence Toshi Reagon invites audiences to participate in an intergenerational Freedom Songs journey and immerse themselves in the significant music and history of Freedom Songs and the Parable Opera. These pieces explore powerful themes of resilience, hope, and the unyielding human spirit.

This is a transformative journey where music becomes a catalyst for personal growth and social awareness, and dissolves barriers between performer and audience.

Featuring vocalists Jason Walker, Evie Shuckman, Josette Newsam, Carla Duren, Alina Carson, bassist Fred Cash, and drummer Matt Graff.

Leadership support for The Greene Space’s Artist in Residence program is provided by the Jerome L. Greene Foundation. Additional support is provided in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the Howard Gilman Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Toshi Reagon

Credit: Photo by Erin O'Brien

Toshi Reagon is a multi-faceted artist with a profound ear for sonic Americana who has made an unforgettable mark on the world of music, theater, and activism. As a singer, composer, musician, curator, and producer, Reagon has showcased her immense talent through residencies at prestigious institutions such as Carnegie Hall and the Paris Opera House, as well as numerous festivals and venues worldwide.

In 2018, Reagon founded Wise Reagon Arts, a production company initially created to bring the opera of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower to life. Co-created and composed by Toshi and singer, composer, scholar, producer, and activist Bernice Johnson Reagon, this congregational opera draws inspiration from Octavia E. Butler’s novels Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents. Since its debut, the opera has traveled to three continents, captivating over 45,000 audience members.

Inspired by Butler’s novels, Reagon developed the Parable Path, a heartfelt endeavor that fosters collaboration among artists, art presenters, community activists, and creators across various disciplines. Leveraging the power of collaboration, she created Songs of the Living, a groundbreaking initiative that builds community choirs and fosters collaborations with local artists and creatives across the globe.