
Tonality featured in L.A. Times for choral tribute to Ahmaud Arbery
Grammy Award-winning choral ensemble Tonality, led by USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music alumnus Alexander Lloyd Blake (DMA ’19), was featured in the Los Angeles Times on May 19. The article spotlights Tonality’s May 24 tribute show to Ahmaud Arbery, who in 2020 was murdered during a racially motivated hate crime.
The program, “Put Your Guns Down,” included the world premiere of founding artistic director Alexander Lloyd Blake’s piece “Running From, Running To: A Musical Reflection on Ahmaud Arbery.”
“When I first heard the composition, I was overwhelmed. It’s beautiful. I wish I could play it over and over again,” wrote Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery’s mother. “The fact that someone took the time to honor Ahmaud in this way — it means more than I can put into words.”
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Photo courtesy of Tonality.