Esperanza Spalding performing at the 2017 Peace Ball. | Photo taken by Tony Mobley for Okayplayer.
Photo Credit: Tony Mobley for Okayplayer.
Photo Credit: Tony Mobley for Okayplayer
The bass virtuoso has been appointed as professor of the practice in the university’s Department of Music.
According to a press release from Harvard, Esperanza Spalding "will teach a range of courses in songwriting, arranging, improvisation, and performance, while also bringing her commitment to music as a voice for social justice." Her appointment begins in July but she will not begin teaching until spring of next year, according to Suzannah Clark, chair of the Harvard University Department of Music.
This is not the first time the 32-year-old Grammy-winning artist has taught college students. From 2005 to 2008 Spalding taught bass in private lessons, ensembles, and classes at Berklee College of Music, which she graduated from.
Earlier this year, Spalding performed at the Peace Ball alongside Solange. Last year, she released her fifth solo album Emily's D+Evolution, which was a favorite of the Okayplayer staff, with our very own Elijah Watson writing:
Contextually, D+Evolution was something of a rebirth for Spalding. After 2012’s Radio Music Society she took two years off from creating music. 'See this pretty girl / Watch this pretty girl flow,' she sings confidently on D+Evolution opener 'Good Lava.' Time paid off; she came back stronger than ever and it's evident as soon as the album begins. In Prince's passing D+Evolution feels even more important than it already was, because you can hear his influence throughout — not just musically but in the fearlessness and freedom of it all. Spalding has and will continue to fight for uncontrolled creative expression, and D+Evolution is a testament to that.
Source: harvard.edu
