11th Annual Legacy Project: Music, Art, and Heritage

Be the first to experience the Texas debut of the Firey String Sistas of New York City, in the Eldorado ballroom. At the core of Firey String Sistas are three powerhouse women, Nioka Workman (founder, cello), Marlene Rice (violin) and Mala Waldron (piano, vocals). The group infuses Jazz with world music, global funk, and soul to create a unique sound for violin, cello, bass, piano, vocals and percussion. They have played collectively with Aretha Franklin, Beyoncé, Lauryn Hill, Indie Arie and countless others. Critics have described Firey String Sistas as “supremely talented” and “poignant.”

Join Community Music Center of Houston and the Community Artists' Collective for the 2026 Legacy Project, a Black Music Month celebration honoring the musicians, music educators, and artists whose work has contributed mightily to Houston’s Black cultural landscape.

This year, we honor Dr. Anne Lundy, Ruth Stewart, Ina Zellers, and Dr. Gloria Quinlan, four women whose lives and work remind us that music is not only performed. It is taught, carried, remembered, and passed on.

Each year, the Legacy Project brings together visual art, live music, public memory, and community celebration. This year, we begin Black Music Month on Sunday, June 7, with an art show opening, the Legacy honoree awards and a musical performance featuring New York's Firey String Sistas.

The opening celebration will take place Sunday, June 7th at the historic Eldorado Ballroom, including "Music Is My Sanctuary" art exhibiton brought to you by Community Artists' Collective and curated by famed artist Tierney Malone in Eldorado Ballroom’s Dupree Room from 2:00 to 4:00. This year, the Legacy Project also welcomes the Rutherford B.H. Yates Museum in Freedmen’s Town as a partner organization, expanding Legacy activations throughout the month of June. The Legacy Music Concert Event will be in the Eldorado Ballroom 4:00-6:30, which includes a post-concert reception.

Through exhibitions, public programs, and a special honoree celebration and concert, we will lift up the people, the stories, and the music that continue to shape this city.

Whether you grew up with this music, studied with one of our honorees, heard the Scott Joplin Chamber Orchestra in your church, or are discovering this legacy for the first time, you are welcome in the room.

This event is free but we do ask you to donate what you can.

Schedule of Events:

Eldorado Ballroom
2310 Elgin Street, Houston, TX 77004

2:00–4:00 P.M.
Black Music Month Art Opening
Eldorado Ballroom’s Dupree Room

(Art Exhibit hours Thurs - Sat, Noon - 5 pm, closes Friday June 26th)

4:00–6:30 P.M.
Legacy Honoree Celebration and Concert
Eldorado Ballroom
Featuring special musical guests

Including post-reception

6:00–8:00 P.M.

Final talks and showing of the art.

The Community Music Center of Houston gratefully acknowledges H-E-B as a corporate sponsor of the 2026 Legacy Project. Also The Legacy Project at the Eldorado is supported in part by a grant from The Texas Commission on the Arts. The Community Music Center of Houston programs are funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

Additional Legacy Project programs will take place throughout June in partnership with Community Artists' Collective and Freedmen’s Town Museums Houston / Rutherford B.H. Yates Museum as part of Harmonies of Heritage: A Juneteenth 2026 Celebration of African American Music.

All listed activations below will be hosted at the J. Vance and Pauline Gray Lewis Museum Home of Legal and Education Professions.

Thursday, June 18 - Community Kickoff
4:00–7:00 P.M.

Thursday, June 25 - Mixer for Young Urban Professionals
4:00–7:00 P.M.

Saturday, June 27 - General Public Visit
10:00 A.M.–1:00 P.M.

Tuesday, June 30 - Celebration of Legacy with Retired Individuals/Organizations
10:00 A.M.–1:00 P.M.

Private Fourth Ward tours of Freedmen’s Town Museum homes are available for prior purchase: $25.
Proceeds support Freedmen’s Town Museums Houston / Rutherford B.H. Yates Museum’s 30 years of preservation.

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