Common Chords

With Music That Matters, Matt Watroba and Robert Jones show how European and African instruments and styles fused to make American music; audiences will learn that the evolution of American music is a journey of tolerance and acceptance. The program begins with early spirituals set in the 1840s and progresses through the songs of the Underground Railroad, the Industrial Revolution, early Blues and its offshoots, Country, Jazz, Bluegrass, Gospel and R&B, and continues into Rap and Hip-Hop. It is the history of music and the music of history—with an emphasis on the power and celebration of cultural diversity.