FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONTCLAIR EARLY MUSIC TO PRESENT “JUBILEE 2024,” A MUSICAL
CELEBRATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN COMPOSERS DURING
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
MONTCLAIR, New Jersey – January 31, 2024 – Montclair Early Music (MEM), a nonprofit
organization that brings history to life through music for people of all ages and abilities,
announced today its special musical celebration of Black History Month, “Jubilee 2024,” which
will take place on February 10, 2024, at 3:00 pm, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at
Montclair, 67 Church Street, Montclair, NJ. Performed by an intergenerational ensemble of
musicians, the concert will showcase the rich history of spiritual, folk, and jazz music from Black composers.
From the joyous rhythms of Africa to the smooth melodies of modern jazz, Jubilee 2024 will
provide a unique and soulful experience featuring jazz pianist Michael David Cochrane, bass
player Michael Logan, tenor soloist Jeremy Watson, and soprano soloist Louisa Valentin, who is also Montclair Early Music’s newly appointed artistic director.
“Montclair Early Music is proud to celebrate Black History Month by presenting this fun and
uplifting concert that honors the seminal and ongoing contributions of African American
composers across several major genres of music and rooted in the lived experiences of Black
people here and across the Atlantic through the centuries,” said Valentin.
Proceeds from the concert will benefit Friends of the Howe House, a local nonprofit
organization dedicated to preserving the historic house of James Howe. Formerly enslaved,
Howe was freed in 1817, and his Montclair house is one of the oldest standing structures
owned by an African American person. The Howe House tells a powerful story of freedom,
slavery, homeownership, and the development of African American communities in the United
States.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.montclairearlymusic.org
Montclair Early Music’s “Jubilee 2024” is made possible, in part, by funds from the Essex County Division of Cultural Affairs, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
Media Contact: Brian Brewer, Advancement Director, MEM