Famous musical guests Massamba Diop (drum player from “Black Panther” fame) and Chicago native flutist Steve Kajula join conductor Emil de Cou for the upcoming Marvel Studios’ Black Panther Live in Concert! (Diop alone is a world renowned tama Senegalese talking drum player!) The highly anticipated event will happen at the Chicago Theatre, 175 N State St, Chicago, June 18, 2022 at 7:30 pm.

According to The Silverman Group press release, the empowering concert will feature the Chicago Philharmonic performing Ludwig Göransson’s Oscar® and Grammy®-winning score live to picture (the “Black Panther” film.)

Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Scott Speck: “Ludwig Göransson’s score for this movie is truly a wonder of modern composition, and an ingenious blend of traditional African and Western music. The two main characters are both given leitmotifs, which is a classical music tradition, but with a twist. T’Challa’s leitmotif is a talking drum rhythm, which Massamba Diop created and recorded for the original recording of the score. Killmonger’s leitmotif is played by the Fula flute, which will be performed in Chicago by Steve Kujala, one of the world’s foremost experts in ethnic flutes.”

Speck added, “Synchronizing a live orchestra soundtrack to a film is an exact science, but Emil has elevated it to an art form. He internalizes the score and breathes life into it, bringing the symphonic values of the music to full fruition. There is nobody around who embodies the flow of a film score more vividly than Emil.”

Executive Director Terell Johnson: “Words can’t describe how meaningful it is to me to bring this live to film concert, about Marvel Studios’ first Black superhero, to Chicago on the eve of Juneteenth. This record-breaking film highlights why representation matters and it is a terrific celebration of Black culture and artistry. We hope this will be an inclusive event that people from all over our city can enjoy together.”

For more information about the concert and the musical team, visit the the Chicago Theatre and Chicago Philharmonic websites: chicagotheatre.com, chicagophilharmonic.org