At the Wyly Theatre in a recent performance called 鈥淟uminescence,鈥� plucked the laser-beam strings of her 3-D printed harp as red lights danced across her hands.
Garland, who wore a vibrant red dress, matched her harp made of translucent red resin. The harp, which was crafted by new media artists and , can be programmed to play any sound, from birds chirping to the drums. For Garland鈥檚 鈥淟uminescence鈥� performances, she chose the sound of string instruments.
It鈥檚 rare to see a 3-D printed harp, let alone one that鈥檚 being used in a 90-minute ensemble performance in the Dallas Arts District. But Garland said it鈥檚 a way to draw attention to a call to action for the Arts District and the classical music world to move past representation of Black and brown musicians and address deeper issues of equity and access.
鈥淸It鈥檚] about using a type of sound and instrument to dismantle different ideas about who should be playing this instrument and who should be in a symphony orchestra and what their music should sound like,鈥� she said.
Garland leads her own nonprofit, , and is executive director at . The multi-instrumentalist, who plays the guitar and harp, is no stranger to the Arts District. She has worked in the box office of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and later became a community liaison. In that position, Garland worked on the Southern Dallas Residency and The Kim Noltemy Young Musicians Program. She is also on the board of directors for the Friends of WRR, the city鈥檚 classical music station managed by 四虎影院, and is a Young Strings program harp instructor.
Garland said she and other Black artists have often felt unsafe, underpaid and underappreciated by organizations in the Arts District, dealing with challenges like pay inequity, tone policing and tokenism.
鈥淟uminescence鈥� is her attempt to shine a light on these issues.
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to dim my light anymore. I'm not going to fit your narrative. I'm not going to fit into these stereotypes that you have about me and my community. I'm going to show you who I am and what I can be.鈥�
It鈥檚 that sentiment that鈥檚 invoked throughout the performance with recorded quotes from , and about love, life and freedom.
Before the performance began, Garland defied convention by taking off her high heels to play barefoot on her looping device. The small act made the concert feel more down to earth, the message more real.
She performed with a guitar, two traditional harps and the 3-D printed harp, looping her music live to play her unique style of avant-garde pop and soul with jazz and classical influences. Five more Black musicians accompanied Garland. Vocalists and with violist and multi-instrumentalist on the cello for performances on Friday and Sunday. performed on the cello Saturday. Behind the artists, a large screen projected shimmering videos created by Eric Trich.
While Garland鈥檚 music is more experimental than classical, all of the musicians onstage have been classically trained with several being for the Performing and Visual Arts alumni. Still, she said it鈥檚 rare to see five Black musicians with classical training onstage in the Arts District.
That鈥檚 rooted in stereotyping in addition to other systemic barriers, Garland said.
鈥淭here's a misconception that Black people don't like classical music and it's just not true. That they can't play it, which is also not true,鈥� she said.
Even when Black and brown artists are invited into these spaces, Garland said they鈥檙e often made to feel like they鈥檙e not good enough.
鈥淭his is just an opportunity to kind of really show that I am and so is everyone else on this stage,鈥� she said.
All of the musicians onstage have professional music careers. Audra Scott has sung in opera halls and theaters worldwide. Geno Young was a musical director for Erykah Badu. Brianne Sargent has music in film and songs. Steven Juarez is a member of the C茅zanne Quartet. Najeeb Sabour was selected to tour internationally with the American Music Abroad Program funded by the U.S. Department of State.
Garland said she wants her students to see someone who looks like them onstage when they attend classical performances. Less than in professional and amateur symphony orchestras in the U.S. are Black.
Toward the end of her performance, Garland shifted the mood towards a more hopeful place with her rendition of 鈥淥ver the Rainbow鈥� and closing out with her single 鈥淕low.鈥�
In the belly of the theater, the haunting, ethereal melodies provided a space to reflect on what needs to happen moving forward.
Garland said she鈥檚 grateful for funding from , which provided the Wyly Theatre performance venue and part of the funding for the production. However, she wants to see more funding and support for performances by Black and brown community-based musicians in the Arts District.
鈥�I want people to take away that this is what it can look like, and we can move towards this and it can be more equitable and there can be more funding.鈥�
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