PREVIEW: Historic Cherry Hill shines a light on an unsung Black musician from Albany
6/12 @ Historic Cherry Hill, Albany
“William James Knapp wasn’t just a name in the archives. He was an artist, a brother, a worker, and a man whose music deserves to fill these rooms again.”
This summer, Historic Cherry Hill invites the Capital Region to gather for a powerful tribute to one of its own. On Thursday, June 12 at 6:00 PM, the museum will host its first ever intimate music concert, William James Knapp: An Evening Serenade, honoring the life and legacy of William James Knapp, a once-marginalized Black musician and former resident of Historic Cherry Hill.
The concert coincides with the launch of the museum’s new centerpiece exhibition, The World of William James Knapp, opening May 4, which shines a long-overdue light on Knapp’s life, lineage, and legacy as a gifted violinist, pianist, and music store clerk in 19th-century Albany.
“This is about more than music,” says Carol Durant, a major player behind the scenes at Historic Cherry Hill. “It’s about reclaiming stories that deserve to be heard. William James Knapp wasn’t just a name in the archives. He was an artist, a brother, a worker, and a man whose music deserves to fill these rooms again.”
The program will feature renowned saxophonist and HBO’s The Gilded Age music consultant, Dr. Christopher Brellochs, acclaimed baritone LayVon Scott, and pianist Elizabeth Gerbi, who will bring to life selections from Knapp’s own personal sheet music and pieces from the era in which he lived.
The concert runs from 6:00–8:00 PM at Historic Cherry Hill. Early bird tickets are available for $25 through May 12, with prices increasing to $30 afterward. Light refreshments will be served following the performance.
Tickets available now: ticketleap.events/tickets/historiccherryhill/william-james-knapp-an-evening-serenade
Questions about payment methods? Call 518-434-4791.
Historic Cherry Hill is located at 523 ½ South Pearl Street, Albany, NY.
Parking is available at the base of the Historic Cherry Hill driveway on South Pearl Street, between McCarty Avenue and 2nd Avenue in Albany’s South End neighborhood.