Adrienne Torf and Voices of the Revolution performing Torf’s and June Jordan’s “Collaboration”

This performance will bring together the moving poetry of the late June Jordan, the piano and compositional artistry of Adrienne Torf, and the powerful spoken word of Lansing’s own Voices of the Revolution. Special guests Rose Jangmi Cooper and Shelia Burks will add vocal alchemy to the performance. This is the first time that a selection of Jordan and Torf’s collaborative works will be performed in this format — a program honoring June Jordan’s legacy, including performances of the collaborative works along with poems by Jordan and other poets.

Tracks from Jordan and Torf’s Collaboration: Selected Works 1988-2000 written and recorded by Jordan and Torf and released in 2003 will be featured. The poetry performed is for an adult audience. The content includes images of misogyny, racism, violence, and other intersections of oppression.

Adrienne Torf is a composer and pianist. Her piano and synthesizer work appear on three solos albums, one in collaboration with her artistic collaborator, the great African American poet, essayist, and activist June Jordan, and more than a dozen commercial releases by other artists. Recent projects include the Theater Alliance / IN Series Washington DC, production of “Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience” which was awarded the 2023 Helen Hayes Theater Award for “Outstanding New Play or Musical Adaptation,” and the September 2022 Sedona, AZ production of Torf’s original ensemble piece for instruments and spoken word, “The Awesome Difficult Work of Love.”

Voices of the Revolution is an eclectic collective of feminist voices telling truth through spoken word. Based in Lansing, Michigan, they perform in libraries, community centers, art galleries, or wherever they’re invited. Their work features their own poetry as well as poets such as Pat Parker and June Jordan. Formed in 2018, their collaboration is based on love and respect that goes back decades. The group includes Kim Griffin, Susan Harris, Laurie Hollinger, Tari Muñiz, Lisa Sarno, and Ruelaine Stokes. This performance also features singers Rose Jangmi Cooper and Shelia Burks.

Preview the original album here:

All Wigged Out: The Musical

”Laughter and tears I didn’t know I needed.“
– Lillian Werbin, CEO Elderly Instruments,
Daughter of Breast Cancer Survivor

In ALL WIGGED OUT, Grammy® Award-winner Marcy Marxer blends music, storytelling, and comedy to share her
firsthand experiences with breast cancer. Starting with a funky mammogram in June 2015 and ending shortly after
her last chemo pill in spring of 2021, Marxer traces her transition from award-winning virtuosic musician to artist struggling with chemo-induced neuropathy, and her path back to touring musician.

Hardly anyone these days is not touched by cancer either directly or via friends or family. Through her renowned musical mastery and eclectic wit, Marcy is joined by partner Cathy Fink, Stacy McMichael (bass) and Janet Cramer (drums). The play not only tells Marcy’s story, but also helps medical professionals, friends, family, and even strangers learn how they can best support those with cancer, all while keeping a sense of humor.