Join us from 2 PM to 4 PM as we welcome olula negre and Julian Terrell Otis, co-curators of the AfriClassical Futures series, for a Saturday Session of improvised music for cello and voice. Combining folk song, electronics, storytelling, and free improvisation, negre and Otis will traverse memory, place and belonging to craft music alive with spontaneity and expression.

A grandchild of twin migrations from Alabama and Puerto Rico, olula negre, is a creative musician (cello/voice/banjo), avant-folklorist, multi-disciplinary artist and curator based between Cleveland and Chicago. With deep reverence for Black music throughout the Americas, olula creates multi-instrumental electroacoustic music blending cello, singing and effects pedals to create music that queers contemporary classical, experimental jazz, and folk traditions. 

Vocalist and curator Julian Terrell Otis is a pioneer in advancing Black culture through groundbreaking improvised, electronic, and movement-based performances—including celebrated roles in George E. Lewis’s Afterword and Julius Eastman's Prelude for the Holy Presence of Joan of Arc. A 2021 Creative Capital Awardee, Otis actively fosters community through initiatives like his Self Care = Resistance! improvised jams and the AfriClassical Futures series at Elastic Arts.

This event is free and open to the public

Saturday Sessions are part of our Echoes music series, a free monthly series celebrating Cleveland’s homegrown music scene through five distinct events, each with its own dedicated day of the month. For more information about the Saturday Sessions and our other Echoes events, check out the link below.