New World Symphony Celebrates Black History Month With Harlem Renaissance Festival

MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) – Black History Month is kicking off in South Florida with a week-long festival celebrating the 20th century's intellectual and cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance.

The five-day "I Dream a World, The Harlem Renaissance & Beyond" celebrates the era through music, spoken word, theater and more.

It runs Tuesday Feb. 1 through Saturday Feb. 5 at the New World Center on Miami Beach.

"We are taking audiences through the music of Black composers and the Harlem Renaissance. This is where a lot of this music began," said Howard Herring, President and CEO of New World Symphony.

The multi-tiered festival of orchestral music, talks, recitals, poetry readings, films and chamber music is led by Michael Tilson Thomas, founder of the New World Symphony as well as Maestro Thomas Wilkins, conductor of the Hollywood Bowl.

Young fellows from New World Symphony rehearsed on Tuesday with Maestro Wilkins for Saturday night's performance titled "Victory Slide: The Orchestral Legacy of the Harlem Renaissance."

"For these young players it's an introduction to a whole new language of music making. We all grew up on Beethoven, Brahms and Haydn and for so long we have not had our hands on this repertoire," said Wilkins. "So now, they're seeing Duke Ellington and William Dawson for the first time in their lives. So, they have to learn sort of a new language almost. That was the essence of the Harlem Renaissance the age of the new Negro, the self-awareness and pride that went along with that."

The Harlem Renaissance marked a turning point in history, helping to establish the authority of Black artists over the representation of Black culture.

For Grammy-winning and renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, it's a history lesson for all audiences.

"I think they'll be touched by a lot of music. A lot of it will be unfamiliar to them, but they'll hear things in the music, and they'll think my goodness that's really beautiful melodically or has something fresh or haunting," Tilson Thomas said.

Maestro Wilkins hopes this program will be unifying for all who come to see it.

"I hope what they learn is that by the end of the day there is more about all of us that is alike then is different," said Wilkins.

"The hook for me at the end of the day, is everyone walks away a better human being and I think that will totally happen when all of this is done."

Saturday night's concert conducted by Wilkins will also be on the Wallcast free to those who sit outside New World Center.

Click here for ticket information.