Program celebrates the power, beauty, and versatility of Black artists in Detroit
Tickets on sale now at dso.org/cube
Detroit, (October 31, 2023) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) today announced the return of Poetry & Music in the Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings Cube (The Cube) with BLK GOLD, a celebration of the power, beauty, and versatility of Black artists in Detroit. Hosted by La Shaun phoenix Moore and featuring DJ Stacye J, this joyful event spotlights the brilliant work of local spoken word artists. Featured artists will include Kahn Davison, Justin Rogers, Nandi Comer (Poet Laureate of Michigan), Scheherazade Washington Parrish, and Alana Gracey, plus a musical performance by vocalist Lulu Fall accompanied by Brendon Davis on keyboard.
The musical performance on this program will journey through true love, grief, unrequited love, spiritual transformation, and everything in between. With notes of soul, jazz and rock, Fall will perform original material, primarily featured on her latest project, Transform.
BLK GOLD will take place Thursday, November 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings Cube (The Cube), located within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center at 3711 Woodward Avenue.
Please note: the DSO does not appear on this performance.
Tickets for this performance start at $20 for general admission, with cabaret seating option available for $40. Tickets can be purchased at dso.org or by calling the Box Office at 313.576.5111, open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Programming in the Peter D. & Julie F. Cummings Cube is supported by Peter and Julie Cummings. Technology support is provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Cube is the DSO’s black box performance space located within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. The Cube is defined for the curated, urban, boundless experiences it delivers to audiences. The venue is designed to not only be accessible, but also relevant to communities the DSO serves through consciously curated arts programming that spans across musical and artistic genres.
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POETRY & MUSIC: BLK GOLD
Thursday, November 9 at 7:30 p.m.
The Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings Cube
La Shaun phoenix Moore, host
DJ Stacye J, DJ
Kahn Davison, poet
Justin Rogers, poet
Nandi Comer, poet
Scheherazade Washington Parris, poet
Alana Gracey, poet
Lulu Fall, vocals
Brendon Davis, keyboard
BLK GOLD is a celebration of the power, beauty and versatility of Black artists in Detroit. This joyful event boasts of brilliant spoken word artists and a musical performance by Lulu Fall. Hosted by La Shaun phoenix Moore with DJ Stayce J on the 1s and 2s.
Lulu Fall, singer, award-winning songwriter, Broadway actor, and visual artist is one unexpected package. Accompanied by Brendon Davis on keyboard, this dynamic duo will journey through true love, grief, unrequited love, spiritual transformation, and everything in between. With notes of soul, jazz and rock, Lulu will perform original material, primarily featured on her latest project, Transform.
Ticket Information:
$20 – General Admission
$40 – Cabaret Seating
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About La Shaun phoenix Moore
La Shaun phoenix Moore is a Detroit-based vocalist, spoken word artist, activist, culture creator, and wife. Moore’s interdisciplinary work is infused with her love for the city of Detroit, hip-hop, God, social justice, and her Black momma. She is currently working on her first memoir exploring the complexities of the Mother Wound and how it is rooted in her immediate family.
About Lulu Fall
Lulu Fall is a singer, award-winning songwriter, and actor currently based in Detroit. Fall, a formally trained jazz vocalist with a musical theatre background, is one complete and unexpected package. As a product of Senegalese and Cameroonian parentage, her music reflects her global perspective by way of her American sensibilities.
Because Fall has a background in musical theatre, she alternates between that and music. Among other shows, she was a performer in the Smithsonian’s American Songbook Program, and ensemble member in Studio Theatre’s adaptation of Passing Strange. She was also a featured ensemble member in the acclaimed hippie love-rock musical HAIR, both the first national tour and Broadway. Her off-Broadway credits include Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812; the acclaimed musical Pretty Filthy; and acclaimed folk-opera Hadestown. Fall portrayed the character of Brenda in Capital Repertory’s production of Smokey Joe’s Cafe in Albany. Fall was most recently in Broadway production of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, and the off-Broadway productions of This Ain't No Disco and Wild Goose Dreams. Fall performed at the 71st Annual Tony Awards with the cast of Great Comet. Fall was a co-star in episode 3 of Random Acts of Flyness on HBO (Season 1). She was a guest star in season 3 of The Last O.G. on TBS (Episode 7).
With a degree in jazz studies, Fall attended Michigan State University. She independently released her debut EP, It’s Official, in 2009, both in Washington DC and London. Her title track single can be found on Spotify. Fall also independently released a collaborative EP titled Heal: Part 1 with the LF+JT (Lulu Fall and James Theory) project in 2015. Fall's latest collaborative project album, The Unpaved Road, was released in August 2017 with writing partner Kris Johnson. This full-length album can be found on all major music platforms (iTunes, Spotify, CD Baby) as well as the Artist Centric Music label website (artistcentricmusic.com). The latest video single from this album, entitled "Painfully Sober," was exclusively released by AFROPUNK. Some of Fall’s music performances include the Winter Music Conference in Miami,, Blues Alley in Washington, DC, Langnau Jazz Nights Festival in Switzerland, Jazz Re:freshed in London, and the Detroit Jazz Festival in Detroit. Fall was a finalist in the fourth annual Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Jazz Competition. She won the Mid-Atlantic Song Competition (MASC) and was awarded Gold and Silver for her songs “Fight” and “No Better” in the R&B category. Fall was the honorable mention recipient of the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) for her song, “Between Two Worlds.” Her single “Pretty For a Dark Girl” was awarded Top 5 Winner in the R&B category of the Great American Song Contest. Fall’s latest album, Between Two Worlds, was released on November 8th, 2019, under Ropeadope Records.
About the DSO
The acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and a deep connection to its city. Led by Music Director Jader Bignamini since 2020, the DSO makes its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, offering a performance schedule that features the PVS Classical, PNC Pops, Paradise Jazz, and Young People’s Family Concert series. In addition, the DSO presents the William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series in metro area venues, as well as eclectic multi-genre performances in its mid-size venue The Cube, constructed and curated with support from Peter D. & Julie F. Cummings. A dedication to broadcast innovation began in 1922, when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a live radio broadcast of a concert and continues today with the groundbreaking Live from Orchestra Hall series of free webcasts.
Since its first school concerts a century ago, and particularly since the founding of the Civic Youth Ensembles in 1970, the DSO has been a national leader in bringing the benefits of music education to students, teachers, and families in Detroit and surrounding communities. The DSO remains committed to expanding its participation in the growth and well-being of Detroit through programs like its Detroit Neighborhood Initiative—cultural events co-created with community partners and residents—and Detroit Harmony, a promise to provide an instrument and instruction to any student in the city who wants to learn. With unwavering support from the people of Detroit, the DSO actively pursues a mission to impact lives through the power of unforgettable musical experiences.