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At 4 p.m. Sunday at the Monongalia Arts Center, the Black Diamond Philharmonic, Morgantown’s startup orchestra, will highlight the contributions of genre-defining composers in the LGBTQ+ community by performing Jennifer Higdon’s “Southern Harmony,” Francis Poulenc’s “Sextet for Winds and Piano,” Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” and Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring Suite” (version for 13 instruments).
Tickets are $10.
National Coming Out Day was founded to be a positive, affirming celebration for the difficulties in telling friends, family and others about one’s LGBTQ+ identity. Another goal was to show that everyone knows someone in the LGBTQ+ community.
“With its warm, life-affirming music by some of the biggest composers in classical music, I hope the program will celebrate and support those who are navigating their own coming out,” said music director Robert Heath. “As a gay conductor myself, who struggled for many years when I was younger, this is exactly the sort of concert that would have helped me. I didn’t even know Barber and Copland were gay until just a few years ago, and I hope this concert will energize discussion within the classical music world about the contributions of LGBTQ+ composers, past and present.”
All members of the community are invited to attend.
Morgantown Pride will host a bake sale and will have materials available.
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