Wise Reagon Arts, a New York City production company, and Strathmore, a leading performing arts and cultural institution in the Washington, D.C. region, are proud to present Over My Head, I Hear Music in the Air: A Celebration of Life and Legacy of Bernice Johnson Reagon. This special evening of song and celebration will honor Dr. Reagon, a multi-award-winning singer, composer, scholar, cultural leader, and steadfast voice for freedom, who died on July 16, 2024.

Curated by singer, composer, producer, and acclaimed congregational artist Toshi Reagon, the performance will bring together singers, scholars, poets, and creatives from diverse backgrounds on Friday, May 16, 2025, at Strathmore’s Music Center in North Bethesda, Maryland.

As shared on Ms. Reagon’s Instagram, Dr. Reagon was a groundbreaking artist, teacher, and civil rights leader who spent over 50 years “speaking out against racism and systemic inequities in the U.S. and globally.”

Over My Head, I Hear Music in the Air continues the rich partnership between Ms. Reagon and Strathmore, which began with the sold-out 2022 premiere of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower—a fully staged contemporary American opera created by Ms. Reagon and Dr. Reagon, inspired by Butler’s acclaimed science fiction novel. Guided by the themes of the Parable novels, Ms. Reagon’s Parable Path initiative—a catalyst for partner institutions to deepen their community impact—prompted Strathmore and co-presenter Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company to launch the annual Arts and Social Justice Fellowship for high schoolers, focusing on the intersection of arts and social justice.

Tickets for Over My Head, I Hear Music in the Air will go on sale to the public in January and can be purchased online or by calling Strathmore’s Ticket Office at 301-581-5100.