05/18/2026
Thank you The Black Diaspora Symphony Orchestra musicians for playing the MSO Milwaukee Musician Showcase.
Dear Fellow Musicians,
Thank you so much for a great concert!! This is a team effort that takes all of us to make possible. A special thank you to Autumn Maria Reed for allowing us to record both her Exodus from Extinction and Why? The King of Love is Dead. A special thank you to composer and conductor Kevin Scott for making Harry Lawrence Freeman's Valdo, available.
In closing, I realize it would have been easy to do something familiar or massively popular. However, to do that does not bring us closer to understanding our history as the people of the United States, nor does it bring us closer together globally as one human family. I continue to be amazed by the number of Black, Latin, Women, and American composers who have been forgotten about and/or deliberately neglected. For any musician to participate in BDSO is to take a chance on correcting this imbalance. Please accept my deepest thanks for being brave, daring, ambitious, and leaning in with all your heart and soul to make the impossible and historically significant, real for everyone. It is this fire that distinguishes typical musicians and composers from great artists. Thank you for allowing me to spend time in the presence of great artists and pushing me further to match your excellence.
Sincerely,
Dayvin Hallmon
Founder and Music Director
Black String Triage Ensemble organization
