Castle of our Skins Announces 2025 Summer Season: A Celebration of Legacy, Joy, and Black Artistry in Full Bloom

Castle of our Skins' 2025 summer season features free concerts, workshops, and performances celebrating Black history, joy, and community across Boston.

BOSTON, MA, UNITED STATES, May 6, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Castle of our Skins, Boston’s acclaimed Black arts institution dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music, education, and cultural initiatives, proudly announces their 2025 Summer Season. Taking place across iconic venues throughout Boston and beyond, this season presents a vibrant mix of immersive performances, interactive workshops, and powerful storytelling experiences that uplift the richness of the African diaspora.

From evocative string works and poetry to family-friendly hands-on programs, the season reflects Castle of our Skins’ commitment to cultural curiosity, community collaboration, and joyful exploration of Black history and creativity.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

And Freedom’s Reign
📅 Sunday, June 8, 2025 | 🕒 2:15 PM Pre-Event | 3:00 PM Concert
📍 Museum of African American History (46 Joy St., Boston)
🎟️ https://givebutter.com/freedoms-reign

An immersive event honoring the words and legacy of Frederick Douglass. Experience the museum’s new AI-powered hologram, an activity and special performance from Project STEP, and a stirring live reading of “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” with musical interludes performed by Castle of our Skins’ String Quartet. Presented in partnership with the Museum of African American History and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project & Odyssey Opera’s As Told By initiative. This program is made possible by a grant from Mass Humanities, which provided funding through the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC).


MassQ Workshop
📅 Saturday, June 14, 2025 | 🕒 1:30–3:30 PM
📍 Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University (25 Arborway, Boston)
🎟️https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events

Led by artist Daniel Callahan, this hands-on workshop explores the practice of MassQing, which uses the human face as a canvas for transformation and expression. Offered in anticipation of October’s MassQ Ball.


Moving in Joy
📅 Saturday, June 14, 2025 | 🕒 6:00PM
📍 Charlestown Navy Yard (1st Ave &, 3rd St, Charlestown, MA)
🎟️ https://www.thetriennial.org

Presented as part of the Boston Public Art Triennial, this dance and musical performance by Jenny Oliver and Steph Davis activates sculptor Alison Coney Moses’ installation “The Moment for Joy.”


A Little History 2.0
📅 Thursday, June 19, 2025 | 🕒 11:30 AM & 12:15 PM
📍 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (465 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA)
🎟️ https://www.mfa.org/event/open-house/juneteenth
An interactive Juneteenth program that brings nine moments of Black history to life through music, poetry, and storytelling, featuring music by composer Anthony R. Green, presented by marimbist Steph Davis.


Ulysses Kay’s Frederick Douglass (Opera)
📅 Friday, June 20, 2025 | 🕒 7:30 PM
📍 NEC’s Jordan Hall (30 Gainsborough St., Boston, MA)
🎟️ https://bmop.org/performances/frederick-douglass

As Told By partners BMOP and Odyssey Opera present a historic revival of Ulysses Kay’s 1991 opera Frederick Douglass—a rarely heard American opera that brings the legacy of one of history’s most powerful voices to the stage.


Portraits of Spirituals (Workshop-Performance)
📅 June 27, July 1, July 20, August 12 | 🕒 11:00 AM & 1:00 PM
📍 Boston Children’s Museum (308 Congress St., Boston, MA)
🎟️ https://bostonchildrensmuseum.org/visit

Led by marimbist Steph Davis, this edutainment offering explores the music & culture of African American spirituals. Centered around principles of dignity, connectivity, and liberation, participants will have the opportunity to engage with traditional music, the Hush Arbor tradition, and African American quilt making.


Play Songs & Games
📅 Sunday, July 13, 2025 | 🕒 1:00 PM & 1:30 PM
📍 Museum of African American History
🎟️ https://givebutter.com/play-songs

A joyful, interactive exploration of African American and Caribbean play songs for children and adults alike.


An Experiment in Voices
📅 Saturday, August 9, 2025 | 🕒 2:00 PM
📍 Tanglewood Learning Institute Studio E (297 West Street, Lenox, MA)
🎟️ https://www.bso.org/events/tli-presents-aracellis-girmay

Acclaimed poet Aracelis Girmay explores the legacy of her great-grandmother in this words-and-music collaboration with director Dawn M. Simmons, composer Brittany J. Green, and violist Ashleigh Gordon of Castle of our Skins.


Sound Medicine & Mindfulness
📅 Sunday, August 10, 2025 | 🕒 1:00 PM
📍 Museum of African American History
🎟️ https://givebutter.com/sound-medicine

This sound bath and guided meditation, led by certified sound healer DeShaun Gordon-King, invites participants into a space of healing and reflection.


Storytelling and Improvisation
📅 Sunday, September 14, 2025 | 🕒 1:00 & 1:30 PM
📍 Museum of African American History
🎟️ https://givebutter.com/story-improv

Designed for children ages 4–10, in this workshop, students will become musical storytellers—using their voices and beginner-friendly instruments to express plot, character, and emotion in real time. A playful, creative introduction to improvisation and performance!


ABOUT CASTLE OF OUR SKINS
Founded in 2013, Castle of our Skins is a Black arts institution dedicated to fostering cultural curiosity and celebrating Black artistry through music. In classrooms, concert halls, and beyond, Castle of our Skins invites Black heritage and culture exploration, spotlighting both unsung and celebrated figures of past and present.

More info + full calendar: www.castleskins.org/upcoming-events

Kelley Hollis
Castle of our Skins
+1 857-506-1517
email us here
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