Three of this week's stories deal with fascinating histories that are still playing out for us today -- and will continue in the future. Gail Obenreder catches a concert that revives the popular music of 18th-century Philadelphia, thanks to a local cellist who used musical research to keep busy during the pandemic shut-down. The review shines light on a local-music scene that has changed less than we might think over the last three centuries.
Meanwhile, Jake Foster, a writer new to BSR, takes us to the opening of a new show at the William Way LGBT Community Center, diving into the archive there. Some gallery-goers are finding themselves on the wall, thanks to a rich display of decades of photographs. And Melissa Lin Sturges, another new-to-us writer, looks at the upcoming opening of Waiting For Lefty at Quintessence, pointing out connections to the fair-labor fight that go beyond the play's plot. It's a story that fits well alongside recent news stories about unionization and strikes across many industries, including the arts.
Part of the benefit of having such a wide range of knowledgeable and passionate writers at BSR is that our team is always ready to take on work that connects to important topics of the moment, as well as the underlying history.
Alaina Johns
BSR editor-in-chief
