Witness: Spirituals and the Classical Music Tradition

Ashleigh Gordon, Artistic/Executive Director and Violist of Castle of our Skins

Described as a “charismatic and captivating performer,” Ashleigh Gordon has recorded with Switzerland's Ensemble Proton and Germany's Ensemble Modern; performed with Grammy-award winning BMOP and Grammy-nominated A Far Cry string ensemble; and appeared at the prestigious BBC Proms Festival with the Chineke! Orchestra. Comfortable on an international stage, Ashleigh has performed in the Royal Albert and Royal Festival Halls (London), Konzerthaus Berlin and Oper Frankfurt (Germany), Gare du Nord and Dampfzentrale Bern (Switzerland), Centre Pompidou (Paris), the Lee Hysan Concert Hall (Hong Kong), and throughout Sofia, Bulgaria as part of the multi-disciplinary 180 Degrees Festival.

​Ashleigh is co-founder, Artistic/Executive Director and violist of Castle of our Skins, a Boston-based concert and educational series devoted to celebrating Black Artistry through music. In recognition of her work, she has presented at IDEAS UMass Boston Conference and 180 Degrees Festival in Bulgaria; has been featured in the International Musician and Improper Bostonian magazines as well as the Boston Globe; and was awarded the 2016 Charles Walton Diversity Advocate Award from the American Federation of Musicians. She is a 2015 St. Botolph Emerging Artist Award recipient, a 2019 Brother Thomas Fellow, a nominee for the 2020 "Americans for the Arts Johnson Fellowship for Artists Transforming Communities,” and named one of WBUR’s “ARTery 25”, twenty-five millennials of color impacting Boston’s arts and culture scene. ​

Nicole Joy Mitchell, contralto. Photo by Kevin King.

Nicole Joy Mitchell is an opera singer (contralto) and a proud native of Brooklyn, New York, who has performed around the country and abroad. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut during their 2019/2020 season, as part of the ensemble in the highly acclaimed James Robinson production of George Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess. She has performed with American Opera Projects (now The American Opera Project) singing the works of new composers. 

In October, Nicole debuted with Santa Fe Opera in the role of Fannie Lou Hamer in Is This America?, adapted from This Little Light of Mine, the story of Fannie Lou Hamer by Diana Solomon-Glover (libretto) and Chandler Carter (music).

Kyle P. Walker, pianist.

Pianist Kyle P. Walker has been featured on WNYC, WQXR, NPR, and UNC-TV. Recent performances include his debut solo recital at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theater, The Great Hall at Cooper Union, The Tantaloona Cave of Australia, and the Lied Center of Kansas. 

As an advocate of social justice, Kyle is a founding member of The Dream Unfinished, an activist orchestra which supports NYC-based civil rights and community organizations through concerts and presentations. As an arts activist and educator, he has presented residencies at various institutions such as The University of Dayton, The University of Virginia, and the Music Educators workshop of Carnegie Hall.

He is currently virtually touring a solo performance project entitled Bach to BlackNotes, which features the music of J.S. Bach juxtaposed with music of neglected composers, who speak to issues of oppression and inequality. See and hear more of Kyle’s musicianship on Instagram @klassicalkyle and at www.kylewalkerpiano.com.

Nedelka F. Prescod

A mother and the daughter of proud Panamanians, NEDELKA holds a BS and MA in Music Education, an MM in Contemporary Improvisation, and is currently a student of Yale Divinity School working towards an MDiv. A seasoned educator and musician, NEDELKA has expanded her offerings to include consulting (education, music, performance and recording production) and is a virtual, and brick and mortar, community builder and speaker. NEDELKA is also independently interested in the unique expressions of sacred music, dance, and spirituality (culture) within the African Diaspora. A self-taught artisan of beaded and natural materials jewelry, she is an unapologetic bibliophile. NEDELKA is currently on faculty at Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory in Boston, offering virtual ensemble coaching and private instrument coaching. Most recently NEDELKA is the visionary for “The Un-Silenced Voice Project”, an endeavor that seeks “to empower the feminine voice (actual and artistic) affected by trauma to help bring necessary balance into our shared spaces."

Rev. Emmett Price III

Emmett G. Price III is one of the nation’s leading experts on Music of the African Diaspora, Christian Worship and the Black Christian Experience. He has spent much of the past few decades writing, lecturing and conducting cutting edge research on bridging the generational divide. He is a noted print and broadcast media expert, as well as a widely sought-after keynote speaker and preacher. In 2011 the Boston Business Journal recognized him as an “Emerging Leader” and in 2013 honored him as one of 40 influential business and civic leaders in Boston under the age of 40.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Dr. Price received a B.A. in music from the University of California, Berkeley and earned both his M.A. and Ph.D. in music (ethnomusicology) from the University of Pittsburgh. He also obtained an M.A. in urban ministry leadership from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Currently, he serves as Professor of Worship, Church & Culture, Founding Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience, and former Dean of the Chapel at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Prior to his current post, Dr. Price served on the faculty of Northeastern University as associate professor of Music and chair of the Department of African American Studies. He has served as visiting professor at Berklee College of Music, Andover Newton Theological School and Brandeis University. He is a former research fellow of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University.