City of Asylum
Giving Voice.
As part of his project “Four for Mingus,'' AJ Johnson presents the third in a series of four concerts. This performance will focus on the ways in which Charles Mingus expanded the blues and adopted it to his artistic vision, stretching the genre to new dimensions.
Reel Stories is a free monthly film series dedicated to showcasing international queer cinema presented in partnership with Reel Q, Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival. July’s screening presents "Just Friends," a romantic comedy directed by Ellen Smit.
This summer, the Kente Arts Alliance is presenting a series of three energetic and engaging concerts at City of Asylum, with special focus on the art and music of the African Diaspora. The final concert in this series presents vocalist Anqwenique, who will share the stage with spoken word artist LaKeisha Wolf.
Don’t miss this stop on the Devin Drobka Trio’s tour as they embark on a 10-show journey through the Midwest. Their debut record, "Resorts," released in 2021, blurs the line between composition and improvisation and stretches the boundaries of a traditional piano trio.
This program welcomes poet and scholar Camille T. Dungy for a reading and conversation surrounding her essay collection, "Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden." "Soil" is a seminal work that expands how we talk about the natural world and the environment as Camille tends her garden to reflect her heritage.
To live is to tell stories. Embracing that truth, Story Club Pittsburgh (created by the former producers of The Moth Pittsburgh), organizes and hosts a monthly nonfiction storytelling series at City of Asylum. The theme for August 2023 is Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow.
This program is the finale of three concerts in the “History of Cuban Music'' series, curated and arranged by Hugo Cruz, and performed by Hugo Cruz and Caminos. This third concert will feature Afro-Cuban music traditions from the Yoruba and Abakuá cultures, and the Spanish-influenced Cuban genres of punto guajiro, bulerias, tanguillo, rumba, and seguidilla.
This program presents award-winning journalist Prachi Gupta’s debut memoir, "They Called Us Exceptional: And Other Lies That Raised Us." Prachi’s debut is a probing, heartfelt exploration of the psychological harm caused by the model minority myth, and what it takes to break free from its constraints.
Reel Stories is a free monthly film series dedicated to showcasing international queer cinema presented in partnership with Reel Q, Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival. August’s screening presents "Instructions for Survival," a 2021 documentary directed by Yana Ugrekhelidze.
In support of his project “Four for Mingus,'' AJ Johnson presents the last in a series of four concerts dedicated to visionary musician Charles Mingus. This final concert will spotlight Charles Mingus’ tributes to Duke Ellington, creating a unique homage to both of these major figures in the history of jazz.
This program presents a combination reading and musical performance with author and ethnomusicologist, Shalini R. Ayyagari. In Shalani’s book, Musical Resilience: Performing Patronage in the Indian Thar Desert, she shows how professional low-caste musicians from the Thar Desert borderland of Rajasthan, India have skillfully reinvented their cultural and economic value in postcolonial India
Fan favorite jazz series Off Minor returns this September with an ode to Buddy DeFranco.
