CHAKABA / Walking with the Spirits
Performance Options and Perspectives
1. What Is Chakaba?
Chakaba is the Urban Classical Music ensemble created by flutist/composer Leslie Burrs. Urban Classical Music incorporates African-American, classical and contemporary music idioms. As a soloist, Burrs' inspired combination of classical virtuosity and dazzling improvisation has captivated audiences across the U.S. and Europe. Chakaba's performances reveal the mystical richness of their instruments, while capturing the vast spectrum of world music.
2. Philosophy and Cultural Implications
Chakaba / Walking With the Spirits is an ANCESTRAL JOURNEY THROUGH CONTEMPORARY SOUNDSCAPES. Chakaba embodies new perspectives on world music.
A “new community” is being defined by a new national urban agenda. Coupled with the globalization of cultures, this evolution has led to innovative approaches to audience development. The creation of Burrs' Urban Classical Music and Chakaba's performance style has an aesthetic and spiritual quality that projects the essence of this "new community."
3. Ensemble Descriptions
• Core ensemble (flute and bamboo flutes, piano, bass, and percussion)
• Core ensemble and string quartet or orchestra
• Core ensemble and voices
• Multi-media presentation: Core ensemble, string quartet [optional], dancers, narrator and screen projected images.
• Vanqui opera concert performance
4. Structural Options
Chakaba's performances can be structured in the following ways:
• The core ensemble, ensemble with strings and multi-media presentations can be presented in small or large venues.
• Venues could include concert halls, arts festivals, colleges and universities, museums and community auditoriums.
• The performances can be produced in partnership with corporate sponsors, international arts organizations, cultural arts organizations, arts councils, orchestras and university campus enrichment organizations.
5. Programming Options
• Chakaba concert performances of Urban Classical Music.
• College and university performances and residency programs by Leslie Burrs. Mr. Burrs, as artist in residence, would spend time on campus interacting with student choral ensembles, solo voices, and classical/jazz instrumentalists preparing them for a performance of his music. The departments that would benefit from such a residency include Music, Opera, Theatre, African American Studies, American Literature, Art and American History.
• Concert performances of the award winning opera Vanqui, with original music by Leslie Burrs and libretto by John A. Williams. The depth and breadth of this work lends itself to an array of educational and performance options. Vanqui has touched rural and urban audiences in America and abroad with its dynamic, multi-layered themes.
6. Marketing
Chakaba can be marketed nationally for:
• College and university concert performances and residencies
• Orchestras
• Chamber music series
• Cultural arts festivals
• Black History Month activities
• Martin Luther King holiday celebrations
1. What Is Chakaba?
Chakaba is the Urban Classical Music ensemble created by flutist/composer Leslie Burrs. Urban Classical Music incorporates African-American, classical and contemporary music idioms. As a soloist, Burrs' inspired combination of classical virtuosity and dazzling improvisation has captivated audiences across the U.S. and Europe. Chakaba's performances reveal the mystical richness of their instruments, while capturing the vast spectrum of world music.
2. Philosophy and Cultural Implications
Chakaba / Walking With the Spirits is an ANCESTRAL JOURNEY THROUGH CONTEMPORARY SOUNDSCAPES. Chakaba embodies new perspectives on world music.
A “new community” is being defined by a new national urban agenda. Coupled with the globalization of cultures, this evolution has led to innovative approaches to audience development. The creation of Burrs' Urban Classical Music and Chakaba's performance style has an aesthetic and spiritual quality that projects the essence of this "new community."
3. Ensemble Descriptions
• Core ensemble (flute and bamboo flutes, piano, bass, and percussion)
• Core ensemble and string quartet or orchestra
• Core ensemble and voices
• Multi-media presentation: Core ensemble, string quartet [optional], dancers, narrator and screen projected images.
• Vanqui opera concert performance
4. Structural Options
Chakaba's performances can be structured in the following ways:
• The core ensemble, ensemble with strings and multi-media presentations can be presented in small or large venues.
• Venues could include concert halls, arts festivals, colleges and universities, museums and community auditoriums.
• The performances can be produced in partnership with corporate sponsors, international arts organizations, cultural arts organizations, arts councils, orchestras and university campus enrichment organizations.
5. Programming Options
• Chakaba concert performances of Urban Classical Music.
• College and university performances and residency programs by Leslie Burrs. Mr. Burrs, as artist in residence, would spend time on campus interacting with student choral ensembles, solo voices, and classical/jazz instrumentalists preparing them for a performance of his music. The departments that would benefit from such a residency include Music, Opera, Theatre, African American Studies, American Literature, Art and American History.
• Concert performances of the award winning opera Vanqui, with original music by Leslie Burrs and libretto by John A. Williams. The depth and breadth of this work lends itself to an array of educational and performance options. Vanqui has touched rural and urban audiences in America and abroad with its dynamic, multi-layered themes.
6. Marketing
Chakaba can be marketed nationally for:
• College and university concert performances and residencies
• Orchestras
• Chamber music series
• Cultural arts festivals
• Black History Month activities
• Martin Luther King holiday celebrations