Episode 119 — June 8, 2021
Samora Pinderhughes: “Kingly” for piano and string quartet
Performed by Samora Pinderhughs and Argus Quartet

Pianist, vocalist, and composer Samora Pinderhughes presents his composition, Kingly, for the House Music series. In his music, Pinderhughes hopes to shed light on our current times, making bold statements about current issues, like capitalist exploitation and the abolition of prisons, through art. Kingly, which is a selection from his series of songs, Grief, exemplifies this mission. 

Grief was how Pinderhughes and Metropolis first connected: Pinderhughes reached out to Andrew Cyr (who actually became a fan of Pindershughes music on Soundcloud during the pandemic) when looking to record the series of revolutionary songs. Cyr suggested Pinderhughes work with Metropolis members who also make up a separately standing string quartet (Argus Quartet), and thus a dual collaboration was launched. He’s continued working with Metropolis since those initial conversations, forming a continuous, fruitful collaboration. His House Music series video celebrates his work with both Metropolis and the Argus Quartet—Argus even performs with him in the video, which was recorded live at Yamaha Artist Studios by director Christian Padron.

Notes by Vanessa Ague

 
House Music: Bite-sized concerts recorded at homes around the world

In 2020-21, we created a weekly video series featuring short-form concerts of newly-commissioned works, supporting 208 artists around the world during the pandemic.