FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 8, 2024

2024 Burning of Kingston Full Line-Up Announced

Special Events Include ‘African American Voices’ and Chamber Music Concert

KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble is pleased to announce that the full line-up of events and programs for the 2024 Burning of Kingston: Voices Lost in the Fire is now available online.

Events, held from October 17-20, will include live battle reenactments, historic tours, musical performances, a grand ball, presentations and discussions, a commemorative 5k run from Uptown Kingston to historic Hurley, and more. Programming will provide historical context for Kingston’s defeat by the British and the plight of its refugees, what life was like for indigenous peoples, women, LGBTQ+, enslaved people, and American militia and British soldiers and mercenaries.

Two special events will be held at the Saint James Church. On Saturday, October 19, starting at 4:00pm, Stories From Ghana Before the Slave Trade will feature Maxwell Kofi Donker and the Sankofa Dancers and Drummers. At 5:00pm, the film “Black Patriots: Heroes of the American Revolution” narrated by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be screened. Then at 6:00pm, Jazz Vespers: The Plight of Slaves During the Buring of Kingston will feature storyteller Evelyn Clarke and Ulster County Poet Laureate Kate Hymes accompanied by Kitt Potter on vocals, Paul Marienthal on flute, Joe Vincent Tranchina on piano, Eli Winograd on bass, and Hector B on drums.

“We are honored to bring the lesser-known Revolutionary War experiences of African Americans to light through storytelling, drumming, dancing, film, and poetry,” said Mayor Noble. “Through these artistic expressions, we can look at the Burning of Kingston through the eyes of all those who experienced it and spotlight these important historical events.”

“As an individual of Afro-Dutch descent from this area, I am proud to be a co-host as well as a participant in the telling of the voices lost in the fire,” said Kitt Potter, City of Kingston Director of Arts and Cultural Affairs. “Kingston is carving an integral path toward true community development and cultural acknowledgment through this unique programming and with the inclusion of all voices, we are becoming one world, one voice, as we look to heal old and new wounds.”

On Sunday, October 20, 2024, to wrap up four days of Burning of Kingston events, a special finale concert, Chamber Music of the Revolutionary War Period featuring Bard Conservatory musicians will be held at Saint James Church at 3:00pm.

A pre-concert talk by the Bard Conservatory Director Frank Corliss, will be followed by Bard musicians Francis Huang (piano) and Yangxin Song (violin) performing works by WA Mozart and Chevalier and the world premiere of a new chamber work by Samuel Mutter, composed exclusively for the Burning of Kingston.  

“We are thrilled to once again host the Bard Conservatory musicians to close out the 2024 Burning of Kingston festivities,” said Mayor Noble. “I want to thank Bard for providing us with such am exciting finale, the historic Saint James Church for the beautiful venue, the planning committee, and Kitt Potter, for helping to provide profound and moving new events to the Burning of Kingston. With this new programming, we have found a way to honor the past and view it through a new lens.”

Director Frank Corliss said, “I am so excited for the Bard Conservatory to have the opportunity to take part in the Burning of Kingston festival and to be able to play for the larger Kingston community. I am so excited that audience members can hear performances by these talented young musicians.”

Saturday, October 19, 2024

African American Voices

4:00pm: Stories From Ghana Before the Slave Trade

5:00pm: “Black Patriots: Heroes of the American Revolution” film

6:00pm: Jazz Vespers: The Plight of Slaves During the Buring of Kingston

Saint James Church, 35 Pearl St, Kingston, NY

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Bard Conservatory Musicians Chamber Music Concert

Pre-Concert Talk by Frank Corliss, Director

3:00pm-5:00pm

Saint James Church, 35 Pearl St, Kingston, NY

All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. For the full schedule, please visit www.burningofkingston.com.

Special thanks to the Radio Kingston Community Tech Team for support.