Re-imagining the African-American origins of Barbershop singing.
Barbershop music is rooted in African American music of the late 1800s. It was slowly appropriated by white men who started the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) in 1938 and charted the destiny of the art form and its practitioners ever since. Even with recent efforts on diversity and inclusion, the ranks of barbershop singing remain dominated by white male performers.
African-American music continued to evolve and has influenced virtually every genre of American music since. While the musical threads diverged, the shared interest in and love of sung harmony persisted. But the wound of appropriation has never been addressed.
Roots Re-Visioned is a project of the Great Northern Union Chorus (GNU), an iconic Twin Cities barbershop chorus that, two years ago, set out on a path of radical inclusion.
The goal of Roots Re-Visioned is to look at barbershop singing and barbershop culture through the eyes of the descendants of the communities from which it was appropriated. We can alter our own course and the course of our music by celebrating and honoring Black voices and influences, and by exploring how this deeper understanding may alter our course.
Bringing voices and minds together.
The Great Northern Union is bringing together five key collaborators to create Roots Re-Visioned:
Bruce Henry
Courtland Pickens
T. Mychael Rambo
Dr. David Wright
Mo Field
Roots Re-Visioned is
A Community Workshop
A Concert
Community Workshop
On Saturday, November 18, Bruce Henry and David Wright, will combine to present a highly participatory interactive workshop that maps the parallel histories of African American music and barbershop singing. The workshop is open to the public. Bruce and his band will perform samples across the entire timeline from 1619 until present, and David will present related barbershop samples via recordings and performances by a GNU quartet. At every step the attendees will be invited to lend their voices to the demonstrations.
Saturday, November 18 | 9:30am-2pm
Paradise Community Hall at the Capri Theater
Admission is free to a maximum of 100 participants. Snacks provided. Parking is free at the Capri Theater.
Free will offering. Please reserve your complimentary ticket(s) below.
Roots Re-Visioned Concert
The weekend will culminate with a public performance featuring Bruce Henry and band, KNOWN Mpls and the Great Northern Union on Sunday afternoon, emceed by T Mychael Rambo. Each group will perform a set of its own music and all will come together for a grand collaborative finale.
Sunday, November 19 | 3 - 4:30pm
The Capri Theater
Pay What You Can Tickets: $5 - $15 - $25
General Admission
Parking is free at the Capri Theater.
Click to purchase your tickets below.
The Capri Theater
The Capri is owned and operated by PCYC, a strong, 65-years-young, community-based nonprofit with a rich history of delivering exceptional education, arts and youth programming to children, families, and the North Minneapolis community.
Expanding on its significant presence on Minneapolis’ Northside, PCYC has operated the historic Capri Theater since 1987, and opened the expanded, renovated Capri on October 3, 2021.
Together with PCYC, our mission is to enrich the skills, prospects and spirit of North Minneapolis area youth and adults, in partnership with families and communities.
