Crafted from durable 14 oz cotton denim, this versatile bag offers reliable strength and a convenient magnet button closure. Whether you’re running around town or on outdoor adventures, it provides a sturdy solution to hold all your stuff!
Size: 17.25" H x 13.5" W
Cotton
Reusable design for everyday use
Web handles
Magnet button closure
Recommended weight tolerance: 22 lbs.
A limited-edition set of 7 postcards, introducing you to people and places I’ve encountered on my travels across America developing The Declaration Project.
These are new friends I’ve made in towns from NYC to Tuskegee, AL. Their stories are on the backs of the cards, and also in my hearts.
Designed by Abigail Clark.
From that time when Lara was a New York Times Sunday Crossword clue!
Soft cotton, unisex design. Available in S, M and L
The Los Angeles Master Chorale under Grant Gershon with piano soloist Lara Downes revived Bonds’ complete Credo in April 2024 at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, a historic full performance of a 20th century American masterwork that is as timeless as it is timely. This release celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day by honoring Dr. King’s commitment to the advancement of peace and nonviolent activism, as expressed in his own words: "It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it."
On May 21 of 1972, the Los Angeles Philharmonic gave a performance of excerpts from the Credo, an epic work for choir and orchestra by Margaret Bonds. She never got to hear that historic performance - she had died four weeks earlier, just after her 59th birthday. Her inspiration for this massive work, which she composed in the mid 1960’s, was the 1904 prose poem Credo by the Black sociologist, historian and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois, who dared to imagine a world that defied the realities of Jim Crow America. In his poem, he stated his belief that all people deserve "the space to stretch their arms and their souls; the right to breathe and the right to vote, the freedom to choose their friends, enjoy the sunshine and ride on the railroads, uncursed by color; thinking, dreaming, working as they will." Decades later, his words resonated with Bonds as violence raged and fires burned across America, as the Civil Rights movement fought on for the promise of freedom and equality, still unfulfilled, but still worth believing in.
THIS LAND, out now on the Pentatone label, is a probing, nuanced reflection on the kaleidoscopic diversity of stories and journeys that have converged and collided throughout American history from an artist renowned for her musical explorations off the beaten path. Downes celebrates the beauty of the American experiment while offering an unflinching acknowledgment of its flaws and failings, ultimately embracing the power of hope and humanity as a pathway to common ground and a brighter future. At the heart of this deeply personal collection is Edmar Colón’s radical new reimagining of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, celebrating the centenary of its premiere while reflecting on an American century of immigration and transformation.
"Love at Last is pianist Lara Downes’s first Pentatone album, inspired by the poem Sachki, Sachki by the Odessa-born Jewish writer Shaul Tchernichovsky. Downes presents 24 pieces, many of them in world premiere recordings, of works by living composers around the globe. Spanning generations, continents and cultures, these diverse voices are united in a stubborn belief in the possibility of humanity, brotherhood, peace, and compassion, and in the everlasting power of love.
An iconoclast and trailblazer, Lara Downes’s dynamic work as a sought-after soloist, a Billboard Chart-topping recording artist, a producer, curator, arts activist and advocate positions her as a cultural visionary on the national arts scene. She was honored as 2022 Classical Woman of the Year by Performance Today."
Chart-topping American pianist Lara Downes reflects on the music of Scott Joplin through a 21st-century lens, revealing its many layers of genre-blurring subtlety and nuance. Joplin is revered as The “King of Ragtime". He’s acknowledged as a classically-trained composer of concert music whose ambitions were denied in his own time. He was both of those things, and more - an innovator who merged traditions and histories to make music at the crossroads of the American future. His story is ready to be retold.
The fullness of Joplin’s artistry shines through in Downes’ open-hearted interpretations, heard in arrangements that transcend historical boundaries. The album is book-ended with music from Joplin's opera "Treemonisha", and features a fluid suite of rags and drags that include collaborations with mandolinist Joe Brent, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and baritone Will Liverman in the world premiere recording of the heart-wrenching ballad "A Picture Of Her Face".
In Lara’s words: "There's a multi-faceted, timeless beauty to this music - a world of emotion and expression waiting to be experienced and embraced. I'm profoundly moved by Joplin's innovative creative vision, the depth of his blended musical roots and the breadth of what grew from them."
Lara Downes’ album Reflections: Scott Joplin Reconsidered took the world by storm when it was released in 2022, climbing instantly to the top of the classical and crossover charts, and garnering feature stories in The New York Times and on National Public Radio. Now you can play what she played! Along with a touching and insightful preface about how Joplin's music galvanized and inspired Downes since her childhood, this unique new publication contains 15 Joplin gems, from the best-known to the unfamiliar, with editing that reflects Ms. Downes' sensitive and open-hearted interpretations. Part of the Rising Sun Series from Theodore Presser. (Available April 1st)
Lara Downes’ album Reflections: Scott Joplin Reconsidered took the world by storm when it was released in 2022, climbing instantly to the top of the classical and crossover charts, and garnering feature stories in The New York Times and on National Public Radio.
Now you can enjoy the album and play what she played!
Along with a touching and insightful preface about how Joplin's music galvanized and inspired Downes since her childhood, this unique new publication contains 15 Joplin gems, from the best-known to the unfamiliar, with editing that reflects Ms. Downes' sensitive and open-hearted interpretations. Part of the Rising Sun Series from Theodore Presser.
Featuring expanded content including an audio version of Lara’s liner notes, and a live performance of “Prelude from Treemonisha” at Harlem Stage, February 14, 2022
Every new day begins in darkness. As the sun rises, the first light reveals a different world than the one we put to bed the night before. Every lifetime is full of so many new mornings and new beginnings. As we emerge from the darkness of pandemic and unrest to face a new day, Lara Downes curates a hopeful, joyful program of works by Black American composers whose music resounds as a celebration of heritage, a cry for freedom, a call to action, and a promise to the next generation. “Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us, Facing the rising sun of our new day begun.” —Lift Every Voice and Sing
Lara’s iconic 2016 album “America Again” launched a voyage of discovery throughout the broad landscape of American music, leading to her latest release “New Day Begun”. Now enjoy these two eclectic and intimate recordings as a limited-edition, autographed collector’s set.
Best known for his settings of spirituals and influence on Dvorák, Henry T. Burleigh was a celebrated baritone, and a prolific composer of original works. This suite of six atmospheric scenes of the American south, inspired by Black musical and cultural traditions, is well within reach of intermediate pianists and artistically suited for professional recitals.
Deeply inspired by the music and mission of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Nathaniel Dett’s piano music springs from the late Romantic traditions of florid texture and embellishment, along with programmatic titles and raw emotion. It is notable for melody writing inspired by and paraphrasing African-American song. This edition by Lara Downes provides a clean, new engraving that corrects the many errors and unclear indications appearing in the historical printing.
Lara Downes presents Hold These Truths, a deeply personal and timely musical journey shaped by an extraordinary two-year odyssey across the United States. Traveling from California to New York, from Vermont to Alabama, Downes uses music as both compass and passport – connecting with communities, sharing stories, and reflecting on the complexities of contemporary American life as she observes this 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.
The result is a richly woven programme that brings together voices past and present, from early American songs and spirituals to works by Copland, Bernstein, and Oscar Peterson, alongside new music by composers who define today’s American sound (Carlos Simon, Christopher Tin, and others). Each piece is illuminated by the words and perspectives of those encountered along the way, offering an intimate and collective portrait of a nation in search of truth, identity, and hope.
Both reflective and forward-looking, Hold These Truths confronts the tensions of the present while affirming the enduring power of shared human experience. Themes of freedom, resilience, and belonging resonate throughout, culminating in a program that is as emotionally compelling as it is culturally significant. Featuring collaborations with a remarkable group of artists and composers, this album captures Downes’ unique ability to blend storytelling with artistry, creating a space for dialogue, empathy, and connection. Lara Downes returns to Pentatione following her acclaimed albums Love at Last and This Land.