NEC’s Black Student Union has an annual tradition of honoring Mrs. Scott-King through various programming throughout the month of February. This year part of that programming will include a tribute event titled \\\"Continuation of a Dream: The Dream Reimagined...”, a celebration of Black history and music in a multi-disciplinary concert experience featuring music, dance, art, and spoken word. Examining the modern-day dream first set out by Dr. Martin Luther King, the concert brings a new look at what the dream looks like today in a contemporary context.

The event is organized by the BSU Board (Naledi Masilo, Robyn Smith, Paul Mardy, and Evan Wright) under the guidance of faculty advisors Nedelka Prescod and Jason Moran.

President of the NEC BSU, Naledi Masilo ’21, says, “The performance will be radically diverse, radically interdisciplinary, and radically BLACK. We hope that attendees of the event leave with a disrupted understanding of what a music conservatory is and what a space of creating art should be in today\\\'s America—diverse, safe, experimental, and exciting. We will have student performances across all disciplines within NEC as well as collaborations with students outside of the school.”

Performers at the February 20 concert include:

NEC Gospel Ensemble (led by Nedelka Prescod)

NEC West African Ensemble

Daon Drisdom ’20, Tenor

Zabriel Rivers, ’21 MM, Countertenor
Raji Venkat ’21 MM Soprano

Dorien Tate ’20 MM Trombone

Robyn Smith ’19, ’21 MM, Trombone
Evan Wright ’20, Jazz Composition

Zoe Cagan ’21 MM, Flute

David Norville ’20, Oboe

Kebra Seyoun-Charles ’20, Double Bass

Tejas Nair ‘22, Esraj

Kevonna Shufford ’20, Viola

Contemporary Improvisation/Jazz Combo TBA

Porsha Olayiwola, special guest performer

Porsha Olayiwola is a writer, performer, educator and curator who uses afro-futurism and surrealism to examine historical and current issues in the Black, woman, and queer diasporas. She is an Individual World Poetry Slam Champion and the artistic director at MassLEAP, a literary youth organization. Olayiwola is an MFA Candidate at Emerson College. Porsha Olayiwola is the author of i shimmer sometimes, too forthcoming with Button Poetry and is the current poet laureate for the City of Boston.