Play Like A Girl: Brandee Younger

HartBeat Ensemble presents Play Like A Girl, a music series, curated and hosted by Hartford-based Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Charmagne Glass-Tripp, that examines the compelling personal stories about the successes, challenges and triumphs of being a musical artist. 

First in the series is harpist Brandee Younger. A leading voice of the harp today, performer, composer, educator and concert curator Brandee Younger defies genres and labels.  Recently awarded Rising Star Harpist in Downbeat Magazine’s 2020 Critics Poll, she has performed and recorded with artists including Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Jack Dejohnette, Charlie Haden, Common, John Legend, The Roots, Stevie Wonder and Lauryn Hill. In 2019, she released her fourth solo album Soul Awakening and her original composition “Hortense” was featured in the Netflix Concert-Documentary, Beyoncé: Homecoming. This same year, Ms. Younger was selected to perform her original music as a featured performer for Quincy Jones and Steve McQueens’ “Soundtrack of America”. Ms. Younger’s ability to seamlessly inject the harp into arrangements and venues where it has historically been overlooked is a testament to her deep love for and exemplary command of the instrument. 

“No harpist thus far has been more capable of combining all of the modern harp traditions — from Salzedo, through Dorothy Ashby, through Alice Coltrane — with such strength, grace and commitment.” - The New York Times

Play Like A Girl is a streamed online event. It premieres on Wednesday, October 21 at 7:30 pm and will be made available on-demand to ticket holders until Wednesday, October 28.

Running Time: 45-minutes

For more information about the artists:  Brandee Younger HERE and Charmagne Glass-Tripp HERE

Play Like A Girl is supported in part by the Betty Knox Foundation and the Greater Hartford Arts Council’s United Arts Campaign with major support from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.