American Mavericks project Vl. I: Quest

Quest, AMP’s inaugural commissioning project, is a interdisciplinary celebration of Black American artistry at the intersection of music and poetry. Acclaimed composers Adolphus Hailstork, Regina Harris Baiocchi, Joyce Solomon Moorman, Carolyn Yarnell, Jeremiah Evans and Anthony R. Green have been commissioned to write solo piano pieces inspired by the poetry of Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, Amiri Baraka, Naomi Long Madgett and Dudley Randall, Chelsea Randall’s great uncle who published and amplified these poets via his trailblazing Broadside Press during the Black Arts Movement. Quest honors the legacy of Dudley Randall and celebrates the memory of Nikki Giovanni, who was an indispensable collaborator and mentor for the project before her passing in 2025.

Composers & commissions

Regina Harris Baiocchi
Piano Broadsides (2023)
I. A Poet is Not a Jukebox
II. Nocturne for Zasha
III. Shape of the Invisible
Inspired by Dudley Randall’s poetry.

Adolphus Hailstork
Don Quixote (Quest) (2024)
Inspired by Naomi Long Madgett’s “Quest.”

Joyce Solomon Moorman
When We Come (2024)
Inspired by Sonia Sanchez’s “When We Come.”

Carolyn Yarnell
Sky Diving (2024)
Inspired by Nikki Giovanni’s “Sky Diving.”

Jeremiah Evans
Piece inspired by Amiri Baraka’s “Balboa, the Entertainer.”
*Commission in progress.

Anthony R. Green
Piece inspired by Sonia Sanchez’s “Under a Soprano Sky.”
*Commission in progress.

A special Thank You to AMP’s generous donors.