Griot Voices: Living Composers Event
Sun, Apr 19
|Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
Step into a dynamic, participatory musical experience at the Bechtler’s Living Composers Event, where the boundaries between performer and audience begin to blur.
Time and Location
Apr 19, 2026, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, 420 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202, USA
About the Program
Sunday, April 19
5 PM: JBT Quartet Performance
6 PM: Bechtler Ensemble Quartet Performance Step into a dynamic, participatory musical experience at the Bechtler’s Living Composers Event, where the boundaries between performer and audience blur and guests engage, respond, and help shape the moment.
The evening begins with a program of spirituals—traditional African American songs rooted in faith, resilience, and storytelling—performed by the Bechtler Ensemble, featuring Tanja Bechtler, Jonah Bechtler-Teixeira, Kenya Templeton, and Keenan A. Harmon. These selections are presented alongside the Gullah Geechee musical tradition, a vibrant rhythm-driven practice rooted in West African influences and carried forward through generations of community expression. Performances include Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Deep River, and Go Down Moses, alongside Graffiti Blossom by Keenan A. Harmon.
The program continues with the commissioned work Freedom’s Thunder; Maulin a Bum Ba: A Gullah Geechee Drumfolk Suite by Dr. David Pleasant, Drumfolk Riddim Specialist. Grounded in the Gullah Geechee Drumfolk tradition, this powerful work centers rhythm, movement, and spoken word as vehicles of cultural continuity, communal expression, and liberation. The performance brings together Dr. Pleasant (composer, drums, harmonica, and spoken word), Kenya Templeton (voice and spoken word), Jonah Bechtler-Teixeira (keyboard), Jane Hart Brendle (violin), Tanja Bechtler (cello and spoken word), and Vattel Cherry (bass and spoken word).
Following the performance, guests are invited to participate in an interactive workshop called Drumfolk, exploring the traditions and techniques of this dynamic musical form. Led by Dr. Pleasant, this guided experience encourages audience members to contribute rhythms and ideas through structured prompts and collaborative exercises, offering insight into the creative process—no prior musical experience required.
This program complements the exhibition David McGee: The Griot and the Nightingale, bridging music, storytelling, and cultural memory.
Pre Show
Enjoy two concerts for the price of one! Your ticket also includes a dynamic performance by the JBT Quartet performing from 5 PM to 5:45 PM. These talented young musicians explore the boundaries of contemporary jazz, and your attendance helps support the next generation of local artists. They'll kick off the evening with a vibrant, soulful set before the Bechtler Ensemble takes the stage at 6 PM.
Tickets $25 for members $30 for nonmembers $5 for students (with proof of ID) FREE tickets for ages 10 and under.
Advance registration is required to guarantee seating.
Artist Bios
Tanja Bechtler
Artistic director and founder of the Bechtler Ensemble, which fosters unity through music and education, and directs the Bechtler Composers Forum, commissioning new works inspired by art. She has contributed to documentary films such as Robert Shaw: Man of Many Voices, Double Take: The Art of Elizabeth King, and In the Footsteps of Elie Wiesel, and has released recordings including Shadegrown, Passage: Without Borders, and The Destiny of Armenia is its Cross. An award-winning musician, she received the “Woman of Achievement” award and the AMG Heritage Award in 2024.
Born in Switzerland, Bechtler holds degrees from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Manhattan School of Music. She was a tenured member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, serves on the boards of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and Bechtler Ensemble, and teaches cello at Gardner-Webb University and Southern Park Music School. She performs regularly with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and Charleston Opera Theater and dedicates her concerts to the HORA Trance Sport Global Youth Movement.
Dr. David Pleasant
Dr. David Pleasant is an internationally acclaimed musician-scholar and Drumfolk Riddim Specialist whose work explores the Gullah Geechee legacy and early African American experience. A choreographer, performer, composer, lecturer, and polyrhythm specialist, his award-winning work spans over 40 years, with collaborations including Audra McDonald, Cecil Taylor, Wynton Marsalis, Chadwick Boseman, Erykah Badu, and Harry Belafonte. He is joined by Chicago-born bassist, composer, arranger, and educator F. Vattel Cherry, a graduate of Howard University and the Manhattan School of Music, who has performed with Charles Gayle, David Pleasant, and Cecil Taylor, and currently leads the Triangle Afrobeat Orchestra in Burlington, North Carolina.
Kenya Templeton
Charlotte, NC-based singer Kenya Templeton delivers an energetic, soul-stirring musical experience, blending scatting, soaring high notes, and inventive sounds. She debuted as a solo performer in 2021 with tributes to Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan and has appeared at the Charlotte SHOUT! Jazz Festival, Huntersville Jazz Festival, and the Harvey B. Gantt Center Golden Gala. A longtime ensemble actor and principal singer with OnQ Performing Arts, Kenya is known for Soulful Noel and her role in the stage adaptation of Russell Goin’s The Children of Children Keep Coming. She launched the bi-monthly Duos and Duets Creative Concert Series in 2025 and will debut the Sidala Learning Lounge in 2026, a space for arts, Black history, and community education.
Jonah Bechtler-Teixeira
A jazz pianist from Charlotte, NC, with a BFA in Jazz Piano Performance from the University of Northern Colorado. He performs regularly at venues such as Petras and Eighty Eight’s Coffee and Cocktails and supports the local music community through lessons and performances. His experience includes musicals and tribute bands with Royal Caribbean. Their album Off the Ship is available on all streaming platforms.
Jane Hart Brendle
Jane Hart Brendle is a member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra where she has been in the first-violin section since 1995. She is also the violinist and arranger for Carolina Strings, a chamber group that performs in the Charlotte area. She holds a Master of Music degree in applied violin performance from UNC-Greensboro. She has held teaching positions at Davidson College, UNC Charlotte, and Queens College Music Academy, and has coached the Charlotte Junior Youth Orchestra. In addition to classical performance, Jane is a versatile musician, appearing in jazz and contemporary ensembles and recording across genres including classical, jazz, folk, and pop. She holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
