PUTNEY, Vt. – Next Stage Arts is excited to host an engaging and interactive musical conversation as part of the NXT Curator Series, featuring professor Christopher Silver on Wednesday, March 20, at 7 p.m. The event will take place at Next Stage Arts, located at 15 Kimball Hill in Putney, Vt.
Admission to this event is free, with donations appreciated. The evening promises a unique experience as Silver delves into the captivating world of early 20th century North African Jewish and Muslim voices through a groundbreaking archive of shellac records from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
Silver, the Segal family assistant professor in Jewish history and culture at McGill University, will share his efforts to amplify the historical voices that have long remained silent. His first-of-its-kind archive, detailed in his award-winning book “Recording History: Jews, Muslims, and Music Across Twentieth Century North Africa,” focuses on the sublime sounds of artists who shaped an era of profound change and resilience.
Keith Marks, executive director of Next Stage Arts, describes the event as a “listening room experience, historical talk, and a conversation around Chris Silver’s process of musical preservation.” He invites music enthusiasts to unite and celebrate the rich history and legacy of musical traditions that risk being lost to time.
The lecture is supported in part by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage. The NXT Curator Series is also sponsored in part by the Putney Public Library.