Carnegie Hall presents Black Opry Revue in the Hamilton Auditorium Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m. as its Mainstage Series continues in 2023. Black Opry Revue is the touring company of the Black Opry, a collective supporting and promoting Black country, folk, blues, and Americana musicians. Guests are invited to come early for the Mainstage Lounge Preshow Reception from 6:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. in the Board Room.
The Black Opry was started in 2021 by Holly G., a writer and flight attendant from Virginia. She was inspired to create a website dedicated to Black country music singers, in response to a study done by a musicologist which found that fewer than one percent of artists played on country radio in the preceding 20 years were artists of color. She began contacting various Black country artists through social media platforms to help raise awareness of their music. Holly G. has stated that she was inspired by Color Me Country, a podcast hosted by Black country singer Rissi Palmer which also discusses country music artists of color.
The intent of the Black Opry is to allow Black country music artists to tour and perform. The Black Opry lists Black artists in the genre through its website, and through national tours under the name Black Opry Revue.
In mid-2021, Holly G. and the Black Opry hosted a five-day concert focused on Black country artists, which included acts such as Rissi Palmer and Miko Marks. This was followed by the first performance under the Black Opry Revue name at New York City’s Rockwood Music Hall. Tylar Bryant, Lizzie No, Roberta Lea, Joy Clark, and Jett Holden performed at this event.
The lineup for the Carnegie Hall performance includes Justin Reid, Lauren Napier, Whitney Monge, and Roberta Lea.
Tickets start at $23, and discounts are available for Carnegie Hall members, students, senior citizens, and military. To purchase tickets, call Carnegie Hall Box Office at 304-645-7917, visit www.carnegiehallwv.org, or stop by at 611 Church Street, Lewisburg. Carnegie Hall Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
This engagement of Black Opry Revue is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.
