Joshua will be taking part in The Blues at Strathmore during its one-week run in October, performing as emcee, pianist, and backup vocalist.

Performed by topflight alumni of Strathmore’s Artist in Residence program and guided by an emcee, The Blues hones its focus on this quintessentially American genre, focusing on a wider variety of blues music, with emphasis on authentic, original, and early blues songs. The program shows a linear evolution of blues, from its early, simpler instrumentation to more recent forms that include amplification, brass and winds, and more musical texture. The Blues also prominently features icons such as Muddy Waters, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and B.B. King—featured in the concert repertoire and in stronger multimedia elements to engage students in a more immersive way, including archival audio and video.

Students are also engaged through call and response with musicians, as well as interactive demonstrations of characteristic elements of blues, such as its stylistic 12-bar chord progression, lyric structure, and improvisation. In its totality, the new program creates rich context for the blues as a foundational element of American music, clearly connecting it to rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, hip-hop, and R&B. Strathmore has also created an online library of education materials for students and teachers, bringing even more longevity to the concert experience.