Words Like Freedom: To Langston with Love

Words Like Freedom: To Langston with Love is at the Curtis Institute of Music on Sunday, October 18, at 3 PM. It's a musical celebration of Langston Hughes, with the school's students bringing his poetry to life through vocal and instrumental performances. The program is built around Hughes as a poet, novelist, and activist, and it touches on themes of identity, resilience, and hope.

The music is performed by the Curtis New Music Ensemble, which focuses on repertoire from the 20th and 21st centuries. It's the ensemble at the center of the piece, and the performance is curated by Grammy Award winner Karen Slack ('02), the school's creative advisor for vocal studies and opera. Before the music starts, acting instructor and director John Matsumoto Giampietro gives a pre-performance talk, so you'll have some context on the poetry before the ensemble takes over.

Curtis is a small, tuition-free conservatory known for its "learn-by-doing" approach, and this is one of the student-led performances from their 2026/27 season. The ensemble was formerly known as Ensemble 20/21, and it's where the school's focus on contemporary music really comes through.

The concert runs on Sunday, October 18, at 3 PM in Gould Rehearsal Hall, with a second performance on Saturday, October 17, at 7 PM. Both are part of the same program.