Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Page Auditorium
I. Earth Intro Segue
II. Earth Intro
III. Dear Laura
IV. Language Barrier Segue
V. Language Barrier
VI. Aviator Segue
VII. Aviator
VIII. On the Road Segue
IX. On the Road
X. Travel Light
shirlette ammons is a Black queer Southern truth-teller — a poet, musician, and Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning television producer whose work moves fluidly across sound, story, and social history. An identical twin from Beautancus, a tiny pocket of eastern North Carolina, ammons has spent a lifetime navigating visibility, otherness, and self-definition — themes that sit at the core of her music and multidisciplinary practice.
Her 2024 album Spectacles, named one of the year’s best by Sound Opinions, is a bracing and electric meditation on being seen — and on choosing how to be seen. Co-produced with Phil Cook, the record blends incisive lyricism, propulsive grooves, and spoken-word intimacy, showcasing ammons’ range as songwriter, MC, bassist, producer, and poet. Spectacles features contributions from musicians, filmmakers, and writers including genre- and gender-defying performance artist Mykki Blanco, MacArthur-winning poet Fred Moten, Nigerian writer and chef Tunde Wey, Amelia Meath of Sylvan Esso, radical feminist writer Alexis Pauline Gumbs, and “the Beyoncé of yoga” Jessamyn Stanley, as well as her twin sister Shorlette Ammons and niece, Anansi Stephens.
A deeply collaborative artist throughout her career, ammons has recorded with the soul-rock band The Dynamite Brothers and brought together artists as wide-ranging as The Indigo Girls, Hiss Golden Messenger, and Meshell Ndegeocello on a single album — 2016’s Language Barrier — reflecting her long-standing commitment to creative community across genre and generation.
Beyond music, ammons has built a distinguished career in film and television, serving as a producer on Emmy- and Peabody-winning PBS series and acclaimed documentary projects. She is also an award-winning poet and Cave Canem Fellow, with two published collections.
In 2025, ammons launched TENDING, a six-part audio documentary tracing Black farmers’ generational fight against the USDA — a project deeply personal to her as the granddaughter of a Black farmer. Whether onstage, on record, on the page, or wearing the producer’s hat, shirlette ammons creates work that is urgent and profoundly human.
Unlike humans, albums don’t have faces that wrinkle over time or hairs that turn gray seemingly out of nowhere. But like us, they do age and become placeholders of moments past. Language Barrier chronicles my effort to challenge and impose boundaries drawn in sand, soil, and resources, boundaries that I became profoundly aware of through international travel and collaboration across mediums and genres in a unique way about a decade ago.
When I made this album, I was thinking about language in the broadest possible sense — about all the ways we seek to be understood by ourselves and others, and all the ways meaning can get lost, distorted, withheld, or transformed between people and systems. I was interested in what happens when the language we inherit does not adequately express all we are. As a Black Southern/rural artist, a queer person, a writer, and a musician, I’ve spent much of my creative life moving between worlds and figuring out how to make a language of my own, inclusive of where I’m from, where I’ve been, and the unknown places I’ve yet to experience.
All of the music featured on Language Barrier was written by Daniel Hart, a longtime friend and collaborator. I essentially repurposed instrumentals from an album he released a year or so prior to Language Barrier. He gave me access to his arrangements and trusted me to fashion new lyrics to the music he composed. He then created “segues” that sampled his own original music to fill the space in between the songs I wrote to fully convey a narrative about relinquishing boundaries in search of a new lens, a vantage point I still embrace as a type of freedom.
The record became less about choosing one musical vocabulary and more about allowing different vocabularies to speak to — and sometimes interrupt — one another. The cast of guest artists who appear on the album reflect a desire to let poetry, experimentation, melody, noise, songwriting, intimacy, and collaboration occupy the same space. It was also an opportunity to call upon the gifts and talents of artists whom, before Language Barrier, I could only dream of working with. I still have to pinch myself at the thought of making a record that features the Indigo Girls and Meshell Ndegeocello amongst other composers of some of this country’s (and my) most inspiring and influential music.
Returning to these songs now is a strange beauty that is hard to quantify. Ten years is enough time to recognize the person who made this record and also understand my former self as someone whose perspective I’m constantly accessing as a building block. Some of the questions inside Language Barrier feel different to me today. Others feel remarkably, sometimes frustratingly, familiar.
That is part of why I wanted this performance to be more than a recreation of the album. I wanted to invite other artists into it. Collaboration has always been fundamental to the way I make work, and these guest artists bring their own histories, voices, sounds, and ways of hearing to music that has already lived a life of its own. Their presence allows these songs to change yet again.
And I think that is ultimately what interests me most about revisiting Language Barrier: not nostalgia, but translation.
What does a record mean when you speak it again ten years later? What survives intact? What becomes newly legible? What new insights emerge? What are the values and lessons in adding new voices? How important is it to actively recognize that music, like humans, is not static?
Tonight, we will seek and find answers to these questions together.
Thank you to all the artists who bring their gifts and bright lights to this evening’s performance (in order of appearance): Rissi Palmer, Lizz Wright, G Yamazawa, H.C. McEntire, Median, Cyanca, Mykki Blanco, Sonny Miles, and Phil Cook; my all-star band: Griffin Wade, Chris Sharp, Russell Favret, and Daniel Combs. Thanks to Matt Phillips for running sound and Derek Rowe for the on-screen graphics. Special thanks to my manager Eric Oberstein for helping bring this vision to fruition, to the Duke Arts staff for seeing the importance of positioning this performance as the opening event for their “We the People” series. Thank you to my wife, Laura, and our perfect daughter May, for exemplifying life’s joyous abundance.
And, in no small measure, thank you for being here. Your presence makes us collaborators in a boundless, unfolding journey.
— shirlette ammons
Through an inimitable voice that The New York Times touts as “a smooth, dark alto possessed of qualities you might associate with barrel-aged bourbon or butter-soft leather,” renowned vocalist and songwriter Lizz Wright sings with a soaring reflection of the cultural fabric of America. She lies beneath the script of history, transcending social divides with an offer of love and deep sense of humanity. Her music accepts the beauty of reality and creates a collective experience of belonging for the listener. Wright’s songs embody a tradition that allows us to always feel at home.
Wright’s 2024 studio album release, Shadow, presents Wright in a gentle and triumphant light. With five originals penned by Wright, Shadow is anchored by acoustic guitars and layered with string quartets, harp, Carnatic Indian classical strings, gospel vocals, and bare emotion. It celebrates the intimacy of romantic love, loss, community, and healing. The album was produced by Chris Bruce and executive produced by Wright on Blues & Greens Records (with licensing/distribution through Lightyear Entertainment/Virgin Music). Wright worked with renowned engineer Ryan Freeland (who recorded her 2017 album, Grace, and has also worked with music legend Bonnie Raitt), and the album features acclaimed guest artists Angelique Kidjo and Meshell Ndegeocello.
At the age of 22, Wright first made a name for herself nationally as a vocalist with a touring concert tribute to Billie Holiday. At 23, she signed with Verve Records for the release of Salt, which topped Billboard’s contemporary jazz charts. She went on to record for Universal Music Group and released the albums Dreaming Wide Awake (2005), The Orchard (2008), and Fellowship (2010). On Concord, Wright released Freedom & Surrender (2016) – featuring the single “Lean In,” which landed on President Obama’s Summer 2016 playlist – and Grace (2017). Wright’s (2022) release of Holding Space (a live recording of a concert in Berlin at the Columbia Theater) was her debut live album on Blues and Greens Records.
Wright looks forward to the release of a duo album, Nearness, with pianist Kenny Banks, Sr. on September 25, 2026 on Blues & Greens Records and Candid Records.
Mykki Blanco is an internationally renowned musician, performing artist, and creative polymath whose groundbreaking work has expanded the possibilities of hip-hop, experimental music, and queer expression. Emerging with influential releases including Cosmic Angel and Gay Dog Food, Blanco helped define a new era of queer rap before releasing their self-titled debut album in 2016. Their wide-ranging career has included collaborations with artists such as Björk, Kanye West, Charli XCX, Kathleen Hanna, Blood Orange, Michael Stipe, ANOHNI, and Jónsi, as well as a starring role in Madonna’s “Dark Ballet” video. Blanco’s acclaimed recent releases include Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep (2021), Stay Close to Music (2022), and Postcards From Italia (2023). Their latest album, CAFE PARADISO, released by Transgressive Records in September 2026, continues Blanco’s creative evolution, moving across dance music, art pop, underground club culture, and genre-defying experimentation.
Phil Cook is a Durham, North Carolina-based multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer, musical director, and arranger whose expansive career is rooted in collaboration and musical curiosity. A founding member of Megafaun and The Shouting Matches with Justin Vernon, Cook has worked with artists including Bon Iver, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Hiss Golden Messenger, Amy Ray, The Mountain Goats, Kathleen Edwards, and Matthew E. White. Equally at home on piano, guitar, organ, banjo, dobro, harmonica, and other instruments, he has built a wide-ranging body of work as a solo artist, sideman, composer, and producer. His latest album, Appalachia Borealis, is a deeply personal collection of piano meditations inspired by birdsong, solitude, and the landscape of North Carolina’s Piedmont. Recorded at April Base in Wisconsin with longtime friend Justin Vernon, the project brings Cook back to his first and most enduring musical love — the piano — and reflects his ongoing search for connection, clarity, and joy.
Cyanca is a North Carolina-born R&B artist, producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose music pairs soulful warmth with adventurous production and a distinctly Southern perspective. Raised in Smithfield, NC, she began playing drums and piano at age six, developing her musicianship in church before studying music at UNC Greensboro. Her work draws from personal experience, Black culture, Southern life, and self-expression, delivered through warm, therapeutic vocals and an imaginative approach to production. Cyanca’s catalog includes The Isle of Queens, I’m Staying Home, Fast Times, and Late 2 The Party, along with her breakout single “New Phone, Who Dis?” Her work has been recognized by Teen Vogue, Okayplayer, Lyrical Lemonade, and RNB Radar. Her music has also appeared in Queen Sugar, Delilah, and Happily Ever After, as well as campaigns for Apple Music and Microsoft. A musician first, Cyanca continues to expand her creative practice as both an artist and producer.
H.C. McEntire is a Durham, North Carolina-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer whose work draws together country, folk, rock, punk, and the musical traditions of the American South. Raised in rural North Carolina on gospel, bluegrass, and country music, McEntire first emerged as a co-founder of the indie rock band Bellafea before forming the acclaimed roots-rock group Mount Moriah with guitarist Jenks Miller. Her solo career has further established her singular voice as both a writer and vocalist, beginning with 2018’s Lionheart, followed by Eno Axis in 2020 and Every Acre in 2023. Across these recordings, McEntire explores place, identity, memory, loss, and belonging through evocative songwriting and an expansive approach to Southern music. She has toured extensively throughout the United States and internationally and has collaborated with artists including Angel Olsen, Amy Ray, S.G. Goodman, and Kathleen Hanna, while also working across production, composition, and creative writing.
McEntire’s most recent project is Eagle Eagle, a female-led production team with Raleigh-based engineer and producer Missy Thangs, which provides end-to-end album creation services, guiding projects from songwriting through release, and is committed to creating a safe space for artists to be vulnerable and explore collaboration in an environment free from pretension, hierarchy, and judgment.
Median (real name James Livingston) is an American rapper and a member of the Justus League, a North Carolina-based hip-hop collective. Known for his smooth flow, introspective lyrics, and soulful beats, he emerged as part of the underground hip-hop movement in the early 2000s. He made his mark with appearances on Little Brother and 9th Wonder-produced projects before releasing his debut album, Median’s Relief (2007). His style is deeply rooted in jazz, boom-bap production, and thought-provoking storytelling, making him a respected figure in alternative hip-hop circles.
Sonny Miles is a singer and independent artist from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Citing gospel, funk, and neo-soul as his biggest influences, Miles fuses catchy, relatable lyrics with soulful compositions to create a unique sound. His talents have led him to performances at festivals such as Hopscotch Music Festival and Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival and to beloved regional venues
such as The Pour House, Cat’s Cradle, and The Ramkat. He has opened for acts like T.I., Flying Lotus, Tori Kelly, and Kehlani. Miles has proven to be a star on the rise with a captivating live performance.
Rissi Palmer, who describes her musical style as “Southern Soul,” made history in 2007 with her breakthrough single “Country Girl” from her self-titled debut album, becoming the first Black female country artist to chart on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart in 19 years. Over 17 years later, Palmer’s debut album has earned its place in music history, with SPIN Magazine recognizing it as one of “Ten Essential Albums by Black Artists” in 2024.
Palmer has since independently released three albums, including Revival (2019), which was named one of Rolling Stone’s “Top 25 Country-Soul Albums of All Time.”
She received a GRAMMY nomination as a part of 1 Tribe Collective for the album All One Tribe in 2021 and is the recipient of the Academy of Country Music Lift Every Voice award in 2025. She is now the host of the Apple Music Country show, Color Me Country Radio w/Rissi Palmer and administers the Color Me Country Artist Grant Fund to provide grants for artists of color pursuing careers in Country and Americana Music.
G YAMAZAWA is a Japanese-American writer, performer, and creator born and raised in Durham, NC. He is a National Poetry Slam Champion (2014), most recognized for the underground statewide anthem “North Cack” (2017), and director of the award-winning short documentary Becoming Yamazushi (2024).
shirlette ammons, Vocals
Russell Favret, Guitar
Russell Favret draws on his eclectic musical interests to create a guitar style that is as much informed by jazz as it is rock and hip-hop. Favret is a staple of the local music scene and has performed with artists such as Rapsody, 9th Wonder, Rakim, Boulevards, Braxton Cook, and Alex Bugnon. He is also a member of fusion hip-hop act Zoocrü. In 2021, Favret was nominated for a GRAMMY for his work on Pierce Freelon’s Black to the Future.
Christian Sharp, Bass
Christian Sharp was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and found a love for music at an early age. After moving to Greenville, South Carolina, he began playing bass guitar in church at age 14 and discovered his passion for music. During high school, while playing upright bass in the philharmonic orchestra, he decided to pursue a career as a professional musician. Sharp received a full scholarship to study jazz at North Carolina Central University, where he served as principal upright bassist for the ensemble and competed in the 2020 inaugural Jack Rudin Jazz Championship at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Since earning his Master’s degree, Sharp has performed with the Durham Symphony and recorded with Branford Marsalis, Frank McComb, and Joshua Bell. A believer in music’s salubrious power, he now shares his knowledge and passion for music by teaching at a local elementary school.
Griffin Wade, Drums
Griffin Wade is a versatile drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and entrepreneur central to the Durham, North Carolina music scene. Known for his dynamic rhythm and cross-genre adaptability, Wade’s talent as a session and live backing musician has made him a go-to collaborator for diverse North Carolina artists, recently performing alongside acclaimed Durham folk and hip-hop songwriter shirlette ammons.
Beyond the stage, Wade is a foundational figure in Durham’s grassroots arts community. He co-founded PS37, a beloved warehouse maker space and music venue in Durham’s Central Park district that served as a vital hub for live performances, electronic music, and local art. Through both his musicianship and community leadership, Wade remains a dedicated champion of the Durham creative community.
Daniel Combs, Keys
Daniel Combs is a keyboardist and composer born and raised in Winston-Salem, NC. He started his musical journey on the piano at age seven and began performing regularly by the time he was a teenager. After graduating high school, Combs moved to Asheville, NC, where he developed his career as a sideman, cutting his teeth playing piano, organ, and keyboards for a variety of regionally and nationally touring acts. Since moving to Durham, he has continued to record and perform regularly with artists including Isaac Hadden Band, Zoocrü, Butler Knowles Quartet, and Bug Puncher. In addition to his work as a keyboardist and sideman, Combs regularly records and performs his own original music, collaborating with many of the region’s finest musicians.
Matt Phillips, Audio Engineer
Derek Alan Rowe, Projections
Eric Oberstein, Manager
Language Barrier at 10 is co-produced by shirlette ammons and Eric Oberstein, in collaboration with Duke Arts Presents. Special thanks to Deborah Rutter, Aaron Shackelford, and the Duke Arts team for this opportunity to reimagine Language Barrier.
Additional thanks to Chef Sydnie Parker (@seasonedbysydnie) and Design by Uma Ramiah (@alittlegolddust) for catering at Boardinghouse Arts.
Language Barrier was originally released in 2016 on Churchkey Records and Sugarqube Records.
Produced by Daniel Hart & shirlette ammons
Music by Daniel Hart
Mixed by Nick Petersen
Mastered by Chris Boerner
Artwork by Katie Frohbose
Design by Steve Oliva
This event is part of We the People: A Duke & Durham Initiative
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