Presidential Plenary: "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free," a performance led by Joshuah Campbell and Roopa Mahadevan

Our presentation on freedom takes inspiration from 1) our own performing arts roots: Indian classical bhakti tradition and African-American spiritual and gospel tradition, and 2) the artistic works of other communities who have historically exerted their freedom in the face of oppression (e.g., Sri Lankan tamil resistance, work songs of African-American chain gangs, Asian laborers in California, Palestinian poetry). In addition to singing works from these traditions, we will engage the audience in interactive musical prompts to explore how the use of the voice/body, spontaneous art-making, and artistic improvisation can be a tool for building community, strength, and joy. The musicians will include Roopa Mahadevan and Joshuah Campbell, individually as well as together, along with 1-2 musicians to be confirmed (e.g., Jake Blunt, Ria Modak) who also explore identity, labor, and the power of music for change in their artistic-academic works. The musicians are considering the use of a few visuals (e.g., lyrics, singing prompts, images) to support the performance. The presentation explores freedom both as feeling and as a real condition constructed correlative to constraint, creativity, and catharsis.