1920’S BLACK SWAN RECORDS COMES TO LIFE WITH VEGAS CITY OPERA

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Juneteenth Celebration Event will be held at Charleston Heights Art Center June 17-19

Vegas City Opera, Vegas’ premier contemporary opera company will present a new immersive concert experience that brings a moment of history to life in this re-telling of a day at Black Swan Records, the first black-owned and operated recording company that sold popular music to black audiences. Black Swan Records specialized in jazz and blues recordings, but it also became the first company to record black classical musicians. Black Swan Radio Hour is a fictional presentation of the creation and presentation of that classical album which contained classical, blues, spiritual, and sacred music.

Black Swan Radio Hour is written by Doctoral UNLV Alumni and celebrated operatic tenor, Dr. Richard L. Hodges, currently touring in the new opera X: The Life and Times of Malcom X. The music presented is curated off the original album with research by Dr. Hodges as to the most authentic version from the 1920’s presented. The production is part of Vegas City Opera’s POCO Initiative (People of Color in Opera).

“The rich history of opera in America has tended to neglect the voices of Women and People of Color. Vegas City Opera has been thrilled with the reception of our “Voice of Women Concert Series” which has been presenting new works for the past three years. This is an expansion on that programming that allows us to present forgotten gems to our community while supporting diverse local talent,” stated Ginger Land-van Buuren, Executive Director of Vegas City Opera.

Based in Harlem, New York, Black Swan Records was founded in 1921 as the record division of Pace Phonographic Corporation by Harry Pace, a music publisher and former professor of Greek and Latin. Pace named the division after African American opera singer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield (1809-1976), known as “The Black Swan.” The label’s mission was to serve black stockholders, employees, singers, and musicians. The Black Swan Board of Directors included Dr. W.E.B. DuBois, Dr. Matthew V. Boutte, Dr. Godfrey Nurse, Dr. W.H. Willis, Truman K. Gibson, Viola Bibb, John P. Quander and John E. Nail. During the company’s brief existence from 1921 and 1923, Black Swan Records would release over 180 records, a number that far surpassed any subsequent black-owned record company until the 1950s. For more information or to make a donation, visit BlackPast.org.

Black Swan is presented in partnership with the City of Las Vegas, Office of Cultural Affairs and support from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Tickets can be found at VegasCityOpera.org.

BLACK SWAN RADIO HOUR

WHERE: Charleston Heights Arts Center

WHEN: June 17 and June 18 at 7 p.m. | June 19 at 3 p.m.

TICKETS: $25 ($19 ticket price available FB/IG) and visit VegasCityOpera.org

Vegas City Opera is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving the residents and visitors of the Las Vegas area and Southern Nevada. VCO envisions an interdisciplinary hub of creativity, learning, and professional development for local artists. VCO hopes to provide a nurturing environment in which performers can take chances and flourish in their craft, all the while sharing the excitement and vibrancy of contemporary opera with audiences of the Las Vegas Valley, tirelessly working toward a future where our communities embrace and seek out the opera arts.

The Literary Scene: An interview with author Amanda Skenandore

By Paul Atreides

Many outsiders have often considered Las Vegas to be a cultural wasteland. And that extends beyond the museums, art galleries, or professional stage offerings like ballet, opera, or theatre. That misconception includes literature, despite the Black Mountain Institute and indie bookstore The Writer's Block (both hosting numerous events), the NPR magazine Desert Companion, the New York Times 2019 article, "Vegas as a Literary Hub? You bet," and… well, authors.

Rather than blaming it on the other grand misconception that "nobody buys books and reads anymore," let's look to the fact that the major media outlets in our fair city don't cover the locals. Even though one quite famous New York Times bestseller lives in the valley, but this isn't about her.

This is about acclaimed author Amanda Skenandore, whose fourth historical fiction novel, The Nurse's Secret, will be released by Kensington Press on June 28. I sat down with her to not only talk about the new novel but to discuss the process and the experience.

Skenandore again draws on her occupation as a nurse with this latest book to delve into the history of nursing: How did we go from conscripting convicts to the image of Clara Barton and Florence Nightingale to the latest of angelic saviors through COVID-19? As she puts it herself, "False images hurt everyone in all walks of life and professions."

Yet, she warns that the adage "write what you know" needs to be approached with caution. It's important not to make assumptions and not take things for granted. Especially with historical fiction, research is important. Skenandore uses the Library of Congress and field trips to the locations she writes to add atmosphere—the sights, sounds, smells, and sense of place to immerse the reader. She says it also helps more fully develop her characters by "giving them places and things to interact with." Another shocker for those Vegas naysayers! —the University of Nevada, Las Vegas library is a treasure trove.

We couldn't avoid the latest hot topic plaguing authors: cultural misappropriation. Her second novel, The Undertakers Assistant, my favorite thus far, has a Black protagonist facing struggles in New Orleans during the period of Reconstruction after the Civil War. How she tackles writing "others" shows she takes all due care to get the details right and utilizes sensitivity to readers. "It's important to have 'own voices' out there telling their stories, and important to amplify those voices, but there's room for authors to write outside their identities too."

She regaled me with having watched an interview with Dustin Hoffman about his work on Tootsie, the 1982 film which garnered more than a handful of awards, wherein Hoffman reflects upon donning the female character. He realized he'd dismissed so many women over his life because they weren't attractive. So, Skenandore finished, "It's about artist growth, too."

Skenandore has just been signed to another two-book contract with Kensington Press. So, of course, I had to know what's next. "A sort of Medicine Show woman, kind of like the snake oil salesmen we see depicted in movies and television. This story will take place in the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston, Texas hurricane, which is still the deadliest natural disaster in the country."

To prove my point that the literary scene is alive and well in Las Vegas, The Writer's Block will host an "in conversation" event (and signing) with fellow historical fiction author Connie Hertzberg Mayo on September 9. In the meantime, The Nurse's Secret is available for preorder at Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, and Amazon.

For more information about Amanda Skenandore and her novels, visit amandaskenandore.com.

Meet with Eat More Art at Henderson Pride Fest June 10 and June 11

Eat More Art always supports the LGBTQ community and will have a booth at the 2nd Annual LGBTQ

at Galleria at Sunset mall on June 10 and June 11.

There will be entertainment, kids’ area, food, vendors, nonprofit resources, health, wellness and fun. There will be special performances by Pepper MaShay, and Kristine W.

Come meet and talk with Eat More Art about art, creative economy, and culture.

Tickets are:

VIP Cocktail Package:

$65 in advance, $85 at the Gate (21 and Over) (Limited Tickets)

· VIP only area

· 5 Cocktails on Friday and 10 Cocktails on Saturday

· Meet & Greet with Artist with signed picture (Fri & Sat)

· Select sponsored food (Sat)

· VIP Gift Bag!

VIP Soda/Water Package:

$35 (All Ages) (Limited Tickets)

· VIP only area

· 5 Sodas/Waters on Friday

· 10 Sodas/Waters on Saturday

· Meet & Greet with Artist with signed picture (Fri & Sat)

· Select sponsored food (Sat)

· VIP Gift Bag!

General Admission: $5

Ages 18 and over

Entrance to the Henderson Pride Fest that is good for both Friday and Saturday.

One Price that includes both days.

Under 18 is FREE

Henderson Pride Fest is the only Official Pride Event in partnership with Henderson Equality Center. Henderson Equality Center is a benefactor of the Henderson Pride Fest. For more info, click here.

Henderson Pride Fest will be held at Galleria at Sunset, 1300 Sunset Road, on Friday, June 19 from 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturday June 11 from 11 a.m. to 10.p.m. For tickets, click here.