Past Projects
A Story of People Called Black is a musical love note to our ancestors who experienced forced migration and enslavement.
The music tells the personal history of composer Gary Washington, his ancestors, their journey from West Africa to the cotton fields of South Carolina, and his continuation of this journey to Manchester, the city built on cotton. The music also celebrates the wider African diaspora who were forced across the Atlantic, who fought and resisted enslavement at every step. It also highlights the contributions of the mainly Irish cotton mill workers of Manchester who were in solidarity with the Abolitionist movement.
It debuted to a packed audience at the historic Nia Centre, Manchester in June 2023 with a 50 piece orchestra.
A Story of a People Called Black
Black Transcendental Suite
Black Transcendental Suite is a seven-movement suite for string quartet. The project was written by Gary Washington in response to the brutal murder George Floyd at the hands of the police in the summer of 2020.
It was performed at HQ, the Rastafian Church in Moss Side in March 2024.
Masterclasses
We design and facilitate workshops and masterclasses that 1) equip artists with new skills 2) highlight histories and cultures