United States Artists is honored to present Blk Metropolis Apocalypse, by Angel Bat Dawid (2025 USA Fellow), performed with D-Composed, a Black chamber music collective. We invite you to this preview of musical work in progress. 

Blk Metropolis Apocalypse is a musical composition in four movements and based on the book Black Metropolis: A Study of Negro Life in a Northern City by St. Clair Drake and Horace R. Cayton (University of Chicago Press, 2015). The piece will be performed by Angel Bat Dawid (clarinet) and accompanied by D-Composed’s Khelsey Zarraga (violin), Anya Brumfield (violin), Wilfred Farquharson (viola), and Lindsey Sharpe (cello).

Angel Bat Dawid derives concepts of communal activation from the traditions of the Black church and the idea that art (music, writing, performance) and information (history, academy, scholarship) are a holistic practice for communities of the global majority. And as Blk Metropolis Apocalypse is participatory in nature, attendees will be encouraged to react and respond, partake and contribute to the work. We welcome your highest vibrations.

For questions, reach out to us at events@unitedstatesartists.org. Registration is required for attendance.

Constellation has wheelchair seating, accessible washrooms, and is accessible via the 49 and 77 CTA buses. Parking is available on Clybourn Avenue and on Fletcher, Barry, and Campbell streets: Constellation does not have a dedicated parking lot. Snacks will be provided and there is a cash bar: attendees must be 21+ years of age to consume alcohol.

About the Artists

Angel Bat Dawid is a 2025 USA Fellow in Music. She is a Black American composer, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and educator based in Chicago. Known for her dynamic performances, she has composed significant works including Requiem for Jazz and Peace: A Suite for Yoko Ono’s Sky Landing Installation. Her debut album The Oracle (International Anthem, 2019) is an epoch-making work offering a profound exploration of contemporary Black life and is being reissued this summer.

D-Composed is a Black chamber music collective, led by Kori Coleman, that celebrates Black culture and creativity. Led by their mission to uplift and empower society through the music of Black composers, this Chicago-based creative incubator acts as a bridge between the past and present to the future of representation, music-centered experiences, and the communal power of Black composers and their impact.