Poetry in Motion

Throughout April, students in 12 inner-city high schools and middle schools received a crash course in poetry and classical music. The Dranoff International Two Piano Foundation brought live music and spoken-word performers into classrooms, attempted to present Chopin as the Tupac of his day, and then asked students to write...

By Amanda McCorquodale

April 29, 2010

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Throughout April, students in 12 inner-city high schools and middle schools received a crash course in poetry and classical music. The Dranoff International Two Piano Foundation brought live music and spoken-word performers into classrooms, attempted to present Chopin as the Tupac of his day, and then asked students to write poems inspired by an original composition. More than 1,000 odes rolled in, and this Wednesday, you can see the 15 finalists read their works live at the second annual Piano Slam.

The Wang sisters, the 2008 winners of the 11th Dranoff International Two Piano Competition, will play dueling pianos as students drop their rhymes. DJ the Brass King will mix in classical and radio hits, and local spoken-word artists Lela Lombardo and Summer Hill Séven will weave the mash-up musical together with their steady cadence of words.
Wed., May 12, 7:30 p.m., 2010

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