Actors Talk August Presented by August Wilson House: Brenden Peifer and Melessie Clark

City of Asylum @ Home

This is an unusual interview for Actors Talk August: a duo of young actors just finishing their first August Wilson play. Brenden Peifer and Melessie Clark are playing Sterling and Risa in “Two Trains Running,” directed by Justin Emeka at Pittsburgh Public Theater (through June 19). Their first encounter with August Wilson traditions, characters and an experienced cast feeds plenty of thought by two lively, smart, responsive professionals just starting their August Wilson journeys.

Stories of Motherhood in the Time of Covid with Sharing our Story & Hello Neighbor

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Sharing Our Story works with people to create their own digital stories in the form of short 3 minute videos.
“Stories of Motherhood” is the fourth storytelling celebrating its completion at City of Asylum. The videos and digital stories shared are from refugee and US-born mothers whose lives and families were impacted by the pandemic. Participating mothers are connected to the Hello Neighbor Network. 

TierrAdentro: Music from Argentina

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

An evening of performance that crosses the musical frontiers of Argentinean folklore, art song and improvisation. 
Folklore refers to a body of popular music created in Argentina and based on indigenous dance rhythms like the zamba, cueca, chacarera, carnavalito and vidala. These songs were passed on through oral tradition and were virtually unknown outside their own region until the early 20th century. 

“Finlandia” Presented by ReelQ Film Festival

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Finlandia explores the lives of a group of muxes—the third gender of the Zapotec indigenous community—as they navigate transphobia, globalization, and love in southern Mexico. Awarded Best Feature Film at the OUTshine Film Festival as well as the Audience Award at the Festival de films LGBTQI+ de Toulouse.
Run time: 120 minutes
Language: Spanish

“What You Need to Know About Me” Book Launch

City of Asylum @ Home

Celebrate the global release of What You Need to Know About Me, a powerful new anthology that centers on the immigration narratives of young people between the ages of 11 and 24. 
Edited by Yalie Saweda Kamara, the anthology’s eighty-four young writers share their dreams, hopes, fears, and realities with unrelenting candor, tenderness, and strength. The anthology’s entries challenge perceptions of migration and identity and compel readers to view these stories with open-mindedness and compassion.

Off Minor Jazz Series: The Concord Quartet Presents “The Composer’s Choice”

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

The Concord Jazz Quartet returns to Alphabet City with a whole new program of music. Often in jazz, it’s the players who get most of the attention, but in this concert, the Concord Quartet  highlights the unique masters who created the songs loved by musicians and fans alike. Join us as the Concord Quartet honors and puts their own spin on everything from BeBop tunes and Third Stream songs to rarely played ‘60s gems and music from today.

In-Dialogue series Presented by the #notwhite Collective

City of Asylum @ Home

The #notwhite collective in-Dialogue series features conversations with BIPOC, AALANA, indigenous and immigrant artists and arts administrators.
The series reimagines the past and present history of the arts sector by engaging and presenting the wealth of experience, strategies, and tactics of the global majority, notwhite descendants, inheritors of colonialism, indigenous and immigrants who navigate a predominantly white arts sector. 

Global Voices Presented by HarmoniZing

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

In-person tickets for this event are sold out. You can still join us virtually. Pipas, guzhengs, ouds, and more! HarmoniZing, a Pittsburgh-based group founded with the aim of nurturing cross-cultural understanding through the arts, brings together musicians playing a diverse array of instruments for an evening of global voices and soaring music.
The concert features solos of the pipa (Chinese lute), guzheng (Chinese zither), oud (Middle Eastern lute), and tabla (Indian hand drums) and concludes with two ensemble pieces recently composed by Chinese Canadian Yao Wang and Iranian American Ehsan Matoori respectively.

Story Club PGH Story Slam: Freedom

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Story Club Pgh’s monthly nonfiction storytelling series mixes the spontaneity of an open mic with the experience of live theater. Organized and hosted by the former producers of The Moth Pittsburgh and presented at City of Asylum.
Every show has both spontaneous tellers and featured performers, all taking the stage to share stories based on a theme.
July's theme is : Freedom

Vocalist Anyah Nancy. Presented by Kente Arts Alliance

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Kente Arts Alliance kicks off their Summer Madness concert series with Vocalist Anyah Nancy. 
A relative newcomer to the Pittsburgh music scene, Anyah Nancy performed at the 2022 Three Rivers Arts Festival and received glowing reviews.  Heavily influenced by jazz vocalists such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and others, Anyah Nancy and her band infuse classical jazz with modern soul and R&B.

World Music Concert: OPEK

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Led by Pittsburgh saxophonist Ben Opie for over twenty years, OPEK is a reduced-sized big band that features some of Pittsburgh’s most vibrant and exciting musicians. OPEK started as an opportunity to showcase the music of visionary bandleader Sun Ra, and they’ve since expanded their repertoire to include Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, monster movie soundtracks, original works, and all points in between. OPEK performances are lively, engaging, and—most of all—fun! 

Venus Presented by ReelQ Film Festival

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Sid’s mother has one wish: for Sid to get married and have some kids. Sid’s not opposed to the idea, but to get there…Sid has to introduce their boyfriend to the family and come out as a transgender woman. Oh, and by the way, a fourteen-year-old boy pops up claiming to be Sid’s son. Join us for this heartwarming film that explores what it means to be a family.

In-Dialogue series Presented by the #notwhite Collective

City of Asylum @ Home

Celebrating and recognizing arts and cultural workers, especially those who tend to be under the radar and forgotten about, the #notwhite collective has featured speakers from southwestern PA as well as national leaders in the arts. August’s conversation features Natiq Jalil and Victoria Snyder.

Jazz Harpists: the music of Alice Coltrane

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

This event is sold out. You can still join us by watching online via our virtual channel. 

The second of three concerts created by Yoko Suzuki exploring the history of female jazz harpists and composers and the rarely heard contributions they made to the jazz scene. This month spotlightsAlice Coltrane whose talents as a composer, singer, pianist, and harpist led her to create a distinctive style combining elements of gospel, classical, and jazz music.

Kente All-Stars I. Presented by Kente Arts Alliance

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Kente Arts Alliance presents two more blockbuster concerts in its Kente Summer Madness Series. For this concert, Kente has assembled an all-star band of renowned jazz musicians who all hail from states within the tri-state area. This formation will present a rare opportunity for them to play together as the Kente All-Stars I. Each member of the band has spent time leading his own series of groups, and each has a keenly individual sound.

Off Minor Jazz Series: Jimmy Heath

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Jimmy Heath is one of the great talents of jazz: a world-class saxophonist, composer, and arranger. In August, the Off Minor Jazz series offers an evening of Master Heath’s music, drawing on all parts of his long career. 
This concert features a quintet with a trumpet and alto saxophone frontline playing arrangements by Lynn Speakman. Discussions related to Jimmy Heath’s autobiography, I Walked with Giants, sprinkle in throughout the set.

Story Club PGH Story Slam: Heat of the Moment

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Join City of Asylum and Story Club Pittsburgh for a new monthly nonfiction storytelling series, mixing the spontaneity of an open mic with the experience of live theater. Organized and hosted by the former producers of The Moth Pittsburgh. 
Every show has both spontaneous tellers and featured performers, all taking the stage to share stories based on a theme.

Kente All-Stars II. Presented by Kente Arts Alliance

Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

This event is sold out but you can still tune in for the livestream.  

Kente All-Stars II rounds out Kente’s Summer Madness Series and its spotlight on renowned jazz musicians from the region. This all-star formation includes three of Pittsburgh’s most recognized and favored artists: Dwayne Dolphin, bass; Tom Wendt, drums; and Alton Merrill, piano. Joining them as their special guest is alto saxophonist Antonio Hart.